ToddlerBrain

Family Tree Craft Ideas

2010-09-01T23:53:00.000-07:00

Mark your calendars.
Bust out the crafting materials.

Grandparent's Day is September 12th.

And nothing says, "I love you," to a grandparent quite like a handmade gift!

Since I also have to ship whatever we make, this little project should've been started yesterday!

My plan is to make Family Trees - one for Grammy and Grampy and another for Mimi.

I've scoured the world wide web and brought you my favorites! Hope they provide some inspiration for a Grandparent's Day gift that is meaningful, educational, and really special :)

1. Paper Scrap Family Tree
2. Family Tree with Fiskar Scissors
3. Birdie Family Tree
4. Corrugated Cardboard Stand-Alone Family Tree

If you're looking for something with a little more kid involvement, something more hands-on, give these ideas a try:
1. Handprint Family Tree
2. Family Photo Tree

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I'll leave you with a sweet grandparent quote:

"Nobody can do for little children what grandparents do. Grandparents sort of sprinkle stardust over the lives of little children." ~ Alex Haley

Counting Around the House

2010-08-18T11:50:00.000-07:00

The weather is delightfully gray and a little chilly here this morning ... the perfect excuse to stay indoors (after a walk to our neighborhood Starbucks) and do a little number activity!

We used our favorite foam numbers - but any numbers - playing cards, post-it notes, flash cards would work.

While NHV ate her snack, I hid the numbers 1-9 - some in obvious places and others that required a few hints from me.

Natalie hunted for the numbers. About halfway through, I asked her to put the numbers on the floor in order, so we could tell which numbers we still needed to find.

After finding all the numbers, we searched through her toy bins to find things we could count and match up to the corresponding number.

There are so many different ways you could play this "game" - stickers on index cards, pom-poms in an egg carton, beads on pipe cleaners, ...

Can't beat good counting practice ... it's FREE and FUN! NHV wants to know if we can "pay dat num-ber game again after yunch?" Sure, why not :)

Fairies in my Toes

2010-08-10T09:46:00.000-07:00

While I was making breakfast and tending to the needs of my 8-month old, I heard my {preschooler} say, "Hey, mommy, yook! Dere's FAIRIES in my toes."

Yeah, I was puzzled. And busy. Had no choice but to stop what I was doing and investigate.

Once I say what she was talking about, I had to run and grab the camera ...

If you hear the words, "There's [insert name of small object] in my [insert body part]." from your toddler's mouth, here are a few guidelines ...

Small toys between the toes ... so cute.
Small toys up the nose ... not such a great idea!

Backyard Counting Adventure

2010-08-05T16:25:00.000-07:00

Here's a simple idea ... because, really, there's no point sharing a "complicated" idea to try with your toddler ... that would be kind of silly, huh?!

I grabbed my camera and took NHV out to the backyard. I told her the plan ... to count things we see outside and try to find one, two, three, four, and five.

To get the process started, I pointed to the lone ball sitting in the middle of the driveway (not a great place for a ball, btw) and asked, "How many balls do you see?" To which she looked at the ball and then at me with an expression that clearly said, "Is this a trick question?" Apparently that was too easy, but always good to start with a confidence-booster! I asked the same question again; to which Natalie replied, "There's just ONE ball, mommy."

"Right you are. Go stand near it and I'll take a picture."

Next we spotted two bikes hanging from the side of the house. We also talked about how many wheels each bike has and counted to four. Repeated that discussion for the pedals, and then talked about the seats ... there are only two of those, which Natalie found quite interesting.

Near the bikes, Natalie spotted three "garbage" cans ... and then also informed me that there are numbers on the side of the big blue recycling can. She even identified almost all of them correctly ... high five, baby girl!

As we stepped over the huge patch of clover in our yard, I couldn't help but point out that the clover has three leaves.

We found four steps on her little climbing wall and the ladder to her slide.

And, finally, just as Natalie was getting bored of this activity, we counted the number of flower pots without flowers planted in them ... FIVE!

Simple, fun practice counting like objects (and identifying numbers).

Snack Idea

2010-06-29T03:38:00.000-07:00

Imagine showing up at the next playdate with these adorable snacks in tow:

I can just about hear the "oooohs" and "aaaaahs" from the mamas as the kiddos excitedly grab their very own little portion-sized (and adorable) snack bag ... filled with cheese and fresh fruit. I mean, really, who needs Teddy Grahams when you can put a nutritional snack in packaging this cute!

There's an official "recipe" here, but I think you can figure it out from the photo.

Summer Activities Challenge: Letter / Number BINGO

2010-06-28T03:07:00.000-07:00

My toddler is soon to be a preschooler ... I am so not sure how I feel about that! But I do know that I am trying to maintain a certain level of structured learning time during these summer months. That effort has lead me to the 2010 Summer Activities Challenge hosted by education.com. The challenge is to complete 10 activities before August 29th. There are thousands (not exaggerating) of activities to choose from, and every age level - from preschool to high school - is covered! The preschool level includes activities in ten different categories. There is so much to do here, it's just silly ... and I mean that in a very good way! In addition to being a great resource for activity ideas, the challenge also boasts the chance to win prizes. Now that's fun! And motivating!

Natalie and I completed our first challenge. We did something simple and fun. We played BINGO, a version focusing on letter and number recognition. The activity explanation is here, and it even includes ready-to-print templates of the bingo cards.

We used mini marshmallows to cover the letters/numbers, which made it more fun ... or should I say, delicious :) Each time she identified a letter/number, she got to eat a marshmallow and then put one on the card. All that picking up of mini marshmallows made for good fine motor practice. Overall, the game held her attention. But I made it harder by giving her one Letter card and one Number card at the same time. This required her first to figure out which card to look at and then find the correct square.

The templates for the caller cards contain ALL letters/numbers, but the Bingo cards themselves do not, so I called a lot of letters/numbers she didn't have. I guess it was good practice searching and then realizing she didn't "have" that one. But, boy, was she disappointed to miss out on a marshmallow!

The game of BINGO can be easily modified to just about any and all learning content.

The next activity on our list ... Weave a Colorful Yarn Mosaic!

You Should Know: Juice Boxes

2010-06-24T22:45:00.000-07:00

1. A Juice Box has Wings ... but it can't fly!

Every time I hand NHV a juice box, it comes with a stern warning. "Here you go, sweetie. Here's your juice box. DON'T SQUEEZE IT." I mean, really, you would think I was issuing some sort of safety warning, not just making an effort to keep her shirt from getting juiced! It's gotten to the point that Natalie issues the warning herself. In this super dramatic voice with her eye brows raised, she turns my plea into a question, "No 'queeze dat duice box, right, mommy?"

Geez, she's been drinking from a juice box since last summer, so we've had a full year's worth of "don't squeeze it" warnings ... and subsequent, yet accidental, squeezes. And, let me tell you, NHV gets distraught when her shirt gets we-et. (She puts an extra syllable in this word and adds a little Southern twang, and I think it's adorable!).

I read about this somewhere - just recently, but I cannot for the life of me remember when or where ...

Before you hand over the juice box, pull up on the two triangles on each side. I call these the "wings." Tell your child to grab the box by the wings.

And, to be honest, I thought it was too simple of a concept to be a) effective or b) useful to anyone besides me. Well, I was wrong on both counts. It works. It really and truly works, and Natalie loves the idea of her juice box having wings. At a recent playdate, I heard a mom mention the "squeezing the juice box" predicament, and so I shared my new idea ... thinking all the other moms would already know about it, but it was "news" to all five of the moms there! Imagine how ~~cool~~ helpful I felt :)

2. Apparently Juice Boxes also have Lead ... and that's not good!

When I put a juice box in Natalie's hand, I think about the sugar content - just before I remind her to hold the wings. I wonder whether or not that is the most nutritional choice. I worry that she'll fill up on those "empty" calories and not eat her meal as well. But it never - and I do mean, never - crossed my mind that I should be concerned about lead content. Lead in old chipping paint? Sure. Lead in some plastic toys? Yes, I've heard of that and have a great source for knowing which toys are rated safest for lead content (click here to find out more).

But now, testing shows that in more than 85% of sampled bottled juice, juice boxes, and packaged fruit the lead content is higher than federal allowable limits for our youngest population.

There's an article at a great site called Inhabitots.

And the complete list of tested products - pass or fail - is here.

It seems I've solved one problem only to stumble upon a much bigger one!

Feed Me Books Friday: Interview with an Author

2010-06-17T23:46:00.000-07:00

This week Janna over at The Adventure in Motherhood, the hostess of this fabulous Feed Me Books Friday, shared a book she wrote and even encouraged her participants to do the same. "Share a book that I've written?" thought I. Well, that would require me to stop dreaming. Stop talking about it. Finally get brave enough. And just do it already.

Long story short ... I have not (yet) written a book. But I share that passion and dream with Janna ... and countless other mommy bloggers is my guess. However, I have had the very distinct pleasure of interviewing an honest-to-goodness, ridiculously talented and successful children's book author. It was a thrill. It was inspiring and intimidating all at the same time.

Her name is Linda Ashman. Before I "knew" her, Natalie and I fell in love with her book Babies on the Go. It was a random library find, and for a solid month it was read over and over. Fast-forward about a year, and I started writing for Macaroni Kid in Colorado. Through my online research, I discovered that a handful of well-known children's book authors live around Denver, which blossomed into an idea for a feature about the "author-next-door." Through email I was able to learn more about her and her process of writing. What follows is an excerpt from that interview, originally published here.

To look a handful of books written by Linda Ashman, you may be surprised to learn they are all written by the same author. She writes about a wide variety of topics and has worked with a multitude of illustrators. Twenty of her books - many of which include poetry and masterful rhyme - have been published. Her books have earned much praise as well as a long list of literary distinctions. One of her first books, Babies on the Go, is a nighttime favorite of my two year old. I am a big fan of Creaky Old House; a story about a family who solves a problem and discovers a fondness for their home.

You've written so many books - covering a wide variety of topics - what inspires you?
For the most part, I tend to write about things I love. My son Jackson has been the biggest inspiration, but I also write about nature, animals, my dogs, and things that happen to interest me--like monsters in The Essential Worldwide Monster Guide, and life in 13th Century England in Come to the Castle.

Is your writing at all influenced by where you live? By your daily life?
Yes, definitely. As just one example, I wrote Creaky Old House shortly after we moved to Denver, when my husband was busy fixing up our 1919 bungalow. Jackson was five at the time, and obsessed with all things construction. He wouldn't go anywhere without his hard hat and tool belt. Between the tools, old house magazines, and renovation conversations, it's no coincidence that I wrote a book about a wacky family and their home repair efforts.

If you came here looking for a book recommendation, without hesitation, I say read with your child ANYTHING written by Linda Ashman!

Let's Go for a Ride!

2010-06-17T14:10:00.000-07:00

Father's Day came early this year ... because the weather was beautiful last weekend and I couldn't wait for NHV and her daddy to try out their new bike seat!

I did a lot of research on bike seats. I knew that we did not want one that attaches to the rear of the bike. Chad wanted to be able to see and hear his rider. I just don't feel like a rear seat is safe. With that in mind, I started searching and found a few options, but none of them reviewed as well as this one. This is the iBert safe-T-seat, and we ordered ours through REI because they have the best return policy.

I took this information directly from their website because these are the two questions I know I would be asking:

Will it fit your kids? The safe-T-seat is designed for children age 4 and under. The minimum age is 12 months as the child needs to be able to sit up well and hold the weight of a helmet on his/her head. The maximum height of the child that can use the safe-T-seat is 42 inches. Kids much taller than that will be uncomfortable. The recommended max weight is 38 lbs. Above 38 lbs and the maneuverability of the bike may be affected.

NHV is almost three years old. She only weighs about 33 pounds, but she is TALL for her age - not sure of her exact measurement. Already her feet hang just outside the "stirrups" of the seat, but she doesn't seem to mind at all. I am guessing we will only be able to use this seat through the summer. But, again, CJV will be able to use it next year :)

Will it fit your bike? The safe-T-seat is the most adaptable child carrier on the market today. It fits more bikes than any other front mounted seat. A minimum of 3/4 inch is needed on the handle bar stem to accommodate the stinger assembly.

How much does it cost? About $100.00. I'll admit the price was a bit out of my price range. However, we have a second one who will someday ride with her daddy, so I think we'll get our money's worth out of it. Just from the handful of times NHV has gone for a bike ride with her daddy, I think this is a great investment!

This makes a great Father's Day gift ... I know it's late notice, but you could order it and just print a picture to wrap :)

I should also mention that iBert did not ask me to write this "review" - I just love this product and thought I'd share.

Rainbow Rice

2010-06-15T01:27:00.000-07:00

First and foremost, I have to give credit to my brilliant sister-in-law for posting about this idea on her website: Fun Finds for Moms.

Natalie has been "playing" and learning with rice since about the age of one. I became very interested in the idea of developmental play after watching an episode of Every Baby's Adventures. You can read more about the learning behind Pouring and Scooping here.

Anyway, I had read about dye-ing pasta and rice online somewhere else. I saw rainbow rice/pasta-filled tactile learning tables when I toured preschools back in January. But we didn't have any food coloring in the house - for months - so I continued to forget about this fabulous idea. It is very easy, relatively inexpensive, somewhat messy, and toddler-pleasing!

You'll need uncooked rice, white vinegar, food coloring, a tablespoon, measuring cup, cookie sheet, foil, and at least one jar. The majority of which I am guessing you already have in your kitchen. I had to raid CPV's woodworking shop and dump out an old peanut butter jar filled with screws!

Measure 2 tablespoons of vinegar and pour it in the jar. My toddler quickly noticed the unusual odor. She also pointed out that it looked like water. I took the opportunity to remind her that we do not drink unknown liquids. Just because something looks like water (or milk or juice) doesn't mean that it is safe to drink.
Next add about 2 cups of rice. We used a 1/2 measuring cup and counted to four.
Squirt in the food coloring, secure the jar's lid, and shake, shake, shake! Clearly this was her favorite part ... we made up songs and had a great time. NHV was amazed to see how the white rice took on a new color.
Pour the contents onto the foil-lined cookie sheet. Must warn you, it was stinky!
Rinse the jar. If you have the time and don't mind the increased mess-factor, I highly recommend toddler help with this step ... the sink is always a big hit!
Repeat the process with another color. We did the four colors included in our set: red, blue, green, and yellow. And then mixed red and blue to make purple and red and yellow to make orange.
Put the pan in the oven on 175 degrees for about 10 minutes.
Pour your Rainbow Rice into an air-tight container for storing ... after you PLAY with it, of course!

Evolution of the Potty Seat

2010-06-11T22:32:00.000-07:00

Natalie is - for the most part - potty trained. Just shy of her third birthday. We've been working at this milestone for the better part of the last year. I'd love to tell you what worked for us ... and I am going to start with the equipment :)

Around 18 months, we started with one of those stand-alone potty seats with the lid that lifts up and the "collection" reservoir beneath. You know the kind that requires emptying into the toilet and then flushing. It's gross, and I often wonder, who's idea was this? For the most, NHV just sat on that potty with the lid down and treated it like her own little chair. I guess it was good for getting her use to the idea of sitting to do her business. We left it in the living room for a while and then moved it to the bathroom where she could sit while mommy was "in there." Side note: I do believe modeling is a part of the learning process.

Next, for her second birthday, we bought one of those cushioned, cartoon-character-clad, rings that you set on the actual toilet. Hers had Sesame Street characters on it, and I must say she did get pretty excited to sit on it. And it was a major step in the right direction ... at least now we had cut out the "middle man" - no more emptying and then flushing. However, I was still fairly disgusted by the idea of constantly moving the ring ... and figuring out where to put that darn thing when it wasn't being used ... but keep it handy enough that it be ready at a moment's notice, which is often the case with a potty training toddler. I especially hated having a "ring" in the powder room downstairs, our most utilized potty by those who live in our house and those who happen to visit.

And then, I used the bathroom at a friend's house and had a little potty epiphany ... before I even sat down! Allow me to introduce to you ... the integrated potty seat:

This lid replaces the existing one on your toilet. The toddler-sized ring is integrated into the lid. When you close the lid, a magnet automatically engages the smaller ring. You do have to pull the smaller ring down to use it. NHV loves this seat because it looks just like the one mommy and daddy use. She is very interested in doing things "like a big girl" and this seat fits the bill. I love it because it's easy to keep clean. I don't have to store it somewhere. Its appearance is not kid-like. I feel like we've streamlined our potty needs.

This particular potty seat was purchased at our local home improvement store for just under $30. It comes in both oblong and round; I didn't even know which we had until I got both of them home! I think it is well-worth the price considering that NHV can use this until her bottom is big enough not to fall through the regular opening and someday our second will be using it, too.

I'm thinking of ...

2010-05-10T03:18:00.000-07:00

... a Sesame Street character

... and he has red fur

Did you guess, Elmo?

Well, of course, you're right!

Have you ever thought about the thinking potential behind a simple game? This is a game I've been playing with my toddler for more than a year ... and it's ever-evolving!

It started as a way to review colors. I'd give a clue about the color of a Sesame Street character - "I'm thinking of a Sesame Street character and he's yellow." NHV would guess and I'd give another clue.

The more we played, the clues became more complicated.

"I'm thinking of a Sesame Street character who is taller than all of his friends." (Big Bird)
"I'm thinking of a Sesame Street character who knows his numbers better than anyone else." (The Count)
"I'm thinking of a Sesame Street character who plays the saxophone." (Hoot)
"I'm thinking of a Sesame Street character who is NOT blue." (multiple answers)

I always start with "I'm thinking ..." because I want NHV to make that connection ... I am using my brain to come up with a clue to then share with her.

Eventually and after plenty of modeling, NHV started coming up with the clues. How's that for thinking! I love experiencing the way her little brain comes up with the clues. Her creativity astounds me, but I especially love it when she gets so excited by a "good" clue that she accidentally tells me the answer before I can guess!

I love this game because ...

it can be played anywhere - on the potty, in the car, at the dinner table, waiting in line at the grocery store, ... and anytime
it's absolutely free and doesn't require any materials
it has continued to evolve and grow with my little learner
it's fun ... and, really, what better reason is there?!

Feed Me Books Friday: Books About Mamas

2010-05-06T22:34:00.000-07:00

I just found The Adventure of Motherhood through one of my favorites, Little Page Turners. And it it turns out there's this great way to share books called, Feed Me Books Friday. Sounds like my kind of par-tay ;)

First of all, can I tell you that I really LOVE being a mom! Who doesn't, right? Especially at this time of night ... when the house is quiet except for the white noise of two baby monitors gently humming in my ears. Just kidding! There are plenty of other times when I LOVE being a mom ... and in all honesty, there were a few moments today when I didn't love it so much at all. Which is why I am happy to have an excuse to write about a book that makes motherhood seem so darn fantastic. A book that remind me of the "bigger picture" of raising two daughters, who will possibly become mothers themselves. Ooooh, I just got this "full circle" chill down my spine!

Let's get to the books before I get complete lost in my thoughts ... but if you're enjoying where that's going, you may want to read this post from about a year ago.

Someday by Alison McGhee

This is a book I absolutely cherish - because it came from my good friend Laurie, first, and then Missy gave me a second "keepsake" copy ... and because it's just beautiful. The mostly white pages are wonderfully illustrated, each one listing a milestone and then wishes the mother has for her daughter's life. The author includes simple acts like holding hands while crossing the street and running with complete abandon. Alongside those everyday experiences, there is also mention of life-chaning moments like discovering great joy and experiencing terrible sadness.

For me it serves as a poignant reminder to enjoy where and when we are right now (even in those moments when I wish I was somewhere else). My totally entertaining almost-three-year old will soon enough be heading off to preschool ... and then college! My sweet, sweet Charlottle will never be this same helpless, cuddly baby girl again. A thought that is beyond bittersweet.

After reading this book, I remind myself that someday is everyday.

Now I am off to peek in on those little sleeping faces ...

Oh, before I go, I should mention that this book makes a wonderful gift for an expectant mother with a baby girl on the way.

RECALL of Kids' Tylenol, Motrin, Zyrtec, Benadryl

2010-05-03T08:57:00.000-07:00

Emmett's mommy - over at Rocky Mountain Big Boy - sent me an email yesterday, and I was a little shocked to read about a current massive recall of Kids' Tylenol, Motrin, Zyrtec, Benadryl. According to children.webmd.com, 43 liquid child/infant products are being recalled by Johnson and Johnson's McNeil Division.

Thankfully, there have been no reported injuries or deaths related to the recall and the chance of such an incident is being called "remote," however parents are being warned NOT to use these products. A refund will be available - but those details have not been released yet.

A complete list of the recalled medications can be found HERE.
There's also a form for refund/replacement HERE.

Take a minute today to check your medicine cabinet!

Feed Me Books Friday: Books You Can Sing

2010-04-30T08:13:00.000-07:00

I am just found The Adventure of Motherhood through one of my favorites, Little Page Turners. And it it turns out there's this great way to share books called, Feed Me Books Friday. Sound like my kind of par-tay ;)

And this week's theme, Books You Can Sing, is just perfect because NHV is currently obsessed with two such books ... both written by Mary Ann Hoberman:

This extended version of a patriotic classic just makes us giggle! It's a clever story of cast of characters - including Yankee Doodle and his pony, of course - who start a restaurant serving noodles, baloney, and apple strudel. The rhymes are really interesting, and it's so easy to sing along with!

There's so much more to the spider's story! The waterspout climbing is just the beginning. She also hugs baby hugs, falls into a stream and gets rescued, and even goes shoe shopping! So much fun!

The author has several other books in the series, and I would bet they are all pretty fantastic, but these are the two we love and read again and again!

*Disclosure: The book links are Amazon Affiliate links and I will receive a small percentage (4%) of the sale if you purchase one. However, I believe your benefit will be far greater than mine.

Birthday Greeting from afar

2010-04-21T21:33:00.000-07:00

My toddler has many friends that live far away. Technically, her little friends are actually the children of my friends, but you get the idea. Those friends have birthdays ... each and every year. I know, imagine that! It's really hard to keep up with sending gifts, especially when you A) don't get to enjoy the party and B) don't get to watch the gift being opened. Where's the FUN in that? So, I try to come up with fun and creative way to wish a little one happy birthday ... from far away ... without spending a ton on shipping. I also want to try to involve my toddler in the process as much as possible. To get the biggest (cutest) bang for my buck, I usually fall back on photography - I take pictures of my toddler :)

Well, my friend Debbie, who I taught with at the beginning of my career, is also mom to three of the cutest two year olds on the planet. You can find out more about Debbie and her triplets at The Growing Cunninghams. I mentioned that her toddlers are two, but I failed to tell you that milestone is officially TODAY!

Happy Birthday, H, M, and L!

The easel served as the backdrop. Grabbed a piece of chalk and wrote a simple message.
Used PowerPoint to create a really large number 2 (representing the age of the birthday girls and boy). Typed each kiddos name on the number. Printed them out. Cut them out.
My toddler sat on my lap and named the letters of each name. I told her what "she" spelled.
Had Natalie choose TWO stickers to put on each one, and then we counted to figure out that 2 + 2 + 2 = 6.
I then attached toilet paper tubes to the back of each number to give her something to hold onto.
Grabbed my camera and started bribing with jelly beans and clicking like a crazy woman.
In the end, I had a bunch of photos to choose from and made a collage using Google's Picasa - that's what you're looking at up there :)
I sent the collage to a local place to be printed in an 8 x 10.
Debbie and the birthday kiddos got an electronic copy emailed to them first thing this morning.
The print, all three 2's, and a personal message will be sent to H, M, and L in Virginia.

How's that for a fun and easy birthday greeting?

Toilet Paper Roll Caterpillar

2010-04-21T15:46:00.000-07:00

Earth Day has me thinking about the "waste" we produce ... which brought me to the idea of finding a toddler craft involving toilet paper tubes. Take a second to think about that one ... hee, hee!

I found this one at http://www.dltk-kids.com/crafts.

It's easy. It's fun. It uses some of those pesky toilet paper tubes that we seem to have so many of.

Great way for your toddler ...

to practice color recognition / naming
to practice fine motor skills - lacing the yarn through the holes
to retell a story using a prop
to talk about where a caterpillar lives, what one eats, etc.

DLTK's Crafts for Kids
Toilet Paper Roll Caterpillar

This is a simple three dimensional craft that is easy and fun for children to make and play with. Older children can cut the toilet paper rolls in half for more "joints" in their caterpillar (this is what we did in our photo). Younger children will want to leave the toilet paper rolls whole as it can be tough to cut them.

Materials

three or four toilet paper rolls (or a paper towel roll)
construction paper
scissors
glue
hole punch
string, wool or ribbon
Optional: wiggly eyes

Instructions:

Optional: Cut each toilet paper roll in half so you have twice as many, shorter tubes
Glue a piece of construction paper to each tube. You can use all one color or you can make a multi colored caterpillar (good colors practice).
Punch a hole at the front and back (two holes) in all but two of the tubes.
- Those two will be the head and the tail.
- Punch just one hole in these two tubes
Thread a piece of string or wool through the holes of each tube (like you're sewing them together).
- Tie off the string at the head and tail.
- Don't make the string too tight or your caterpillar won't wiggle.
Decorate your caterpillar further with sticker polka dots, marker, paint, etc.

Antennas:

Cut two thin strips of construction paper from yellow paper and curl around the end of a pencil
Fold a small tab at the end of each and glue it onto the head (the front tube)

Eyes:

Glue on wiggly eyes or draw eyes on with a marker
or cut eyes out of white construction paper and draw an eyeball in the middle of each with a black marker

Inspiration

2010-03-28T22:42:00.000-07:00

Natalie was reading books in the other room. She had been quietly turning pages for about 15 minutes when I heard her say, "Mommy, take off my shirt, my pants, and my diaper."

She made her way into the room where I was just putting the baby down for a nap and repeated her request while counting off each item of clothing on her little toddler fingers.

"Mommy, take off my shirt (index finger), my pants (middle finger), and my diaper (thumb)."

I was puzzled by this request and asked her, "Why do you want to take off your shirt, your pants, and your diaper?"

Again, she demanded - in a very polite yet persistent way - that I take off all that she was wearing ... because she wanted to be nakey! Well, duh! But WHY?

"I want to paint like those kids." Huh?

"Those kids in that book." Ummm ... you better show mommy what you mean.

She took off running and I followed ... to the bookcase where I found a proudly smiling toddler and a photography book opened to this page ...

Aaaaah, now it all makes sense! And how could I refuse her request? She was inspired by something she saw in a book. She wanted to try painting in very little clothing. It does look like fun, doesn't it?!

And so ...she got semi-nakey and painted to her heart's content.

We compromised and left the diaper on because I was able to point out that two of the kids in the book are wearing their diapers.

Finger painting was not what I had planned for our afternoon. But we had so much fun ... and she even got an unexpected middle-of-the-day bath after some of that paint managed to get all over her belly - just like in the photograph :)

This experience was such a good and needed reminder to let my toddler take the lead sometimes. To follow her whims and wants and ideas. To take something from a book and make it real. To get nakey and messy :)

What inspires your toddler? What was the last unexpected thing you did together?

Fun on the Go Box

2010-03-24T21:13:00.000-07:00

Sick and tired of diaper bag full of "distractions" for my toddler ... especially now that the diaper bag is also for the newborn ... I created our very own "Fun on the Go" Box. The box lives in my car - and stays there. I can just grab it when needed ... like for dining out or waiting in the doctor's office.

The Box was once the packaging for store-brand floor wipes (like Swiffer) - nice repurpose, huh?! :)

Inside (aka the Fun) you'll find a baggie of crayons, flash cards, several small books, stickers, and tiny notepad.

What would you put in your toddler's very own Fun-on-the-Go Box?

Night Light Stories

2010-03-15T10:34:00.000-07:00

NOTE: I am reposting this information ... because this is a site you really should visit! I especially enjoyed their latest poem, Captain Destructo.

I am also very excited to announce an upcoming series of children's books written by the husband-wife team behind NightLight Stories!

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As much as I love to cuddle up with a good book, there's something truly magical about having a story read to you. During my years in the classroom, I always treasured the times my students gathered around to hear my voice read the words of a favorite chapter book. Sharing that special time with my own toddler is not only a daily treat but also holds lasting memories for me. And, I wish, so much that my sweet husband would read aloud to me; I love the sound of his voice.

And all of that is just a fraction of the reason that I adore Night Light Stories.

"Night Light Stories is a podcast featuring original children's stories." The stories are funny, entertaining, and great for kids of all ages. Another unique aspect of Night Light Stories is the re-occurring star character, the author's pet ferret Mojo.

The site currently includes 10 episodes, each episode is an original story written by an experienced teacher and mommy ... with some help from her husband. The latest, The Watermelon Seed, is a darling dialogue between a young boy and his grandmother via letters ... over the course of his mother's pregnancy. The story features a soothing rhyme pattern, facts about what plants need to grow, and time transitions over the seasons. In the end, the young boy is introduced to his new baby sister. Too cute!

Aside from the creative content of the stories themselves - which makes this blog well-worth visiting, the podcasts are produced with obvious skill and attention-to-detail. Love that!

As if the stories aren't enough, the text of each episode blog post includes useful and engaging features:

Words of the Day, aka "juicy words" - really great new vocabulary with words and simple definitions
Activity Ideas - ideas for extending a child's story-listening experience.
Comprehension Questions - leads for discussing the story with your child and helping him recall details

and ...

Bright Birthday Wishes - the author provides you a creative way to wish someone a happy birthday. All you have to do is send an email to have an announcement made at the end of each podcast episode and on the blog. What child (or adult) for that matter wouldn't love that?

Teacher Thought: There are three modalities of learning: Seeing (visual), Hearing (auditory), and Touching (tactile). Listening to stories - via podcast - is an excellent way to develop a child's ability to process information auditorially, a skill that is extremely helpful to all students in a classroom. This skill is invaluable and is much different than sitting on a parent's lap and following along with a book.

Give Night Light Stories a try; you won't be disappointed!

Placemat Lesson 2

2010-03-11T00:21:00.000-08:00

I try to use my toddler's afternoon snack time as a learning time ... rather than giving into her requests for Elmo or George. I also find that she eats healthier if we are engaged in an activity together rather than plopped in front of the tube. If I blog about it, I am more likely to form a habit ... and perhaps it will inspire your own placemat lessons :)

This is a perfect rainy day - can't-get-outside - kind of activity ...

Take a "virtual" walk through your neighborhood using paper, crayons, and whatever drawing abilities (mine are limited) you possess.

I must give credit to the game CandyLand ... and the little man playing pieces included in the game. NHV loves those little plastic men, so we decided to take them on a walk!

I started by drawing a road/sidewalk.

I then asked my toddler, what do we SEE when we go for a walk?

As she answered that question (I asked it over and over), I drew in the details that she mentioned ... a tree, a puddle, sticks, leaves, a car, a house, the sewer grate, our mailboxes, a school bus - to which we added "tudents" and a "diver," ...

Then it was time for the little men to take a walk.

First, NHV walked them around and told me what each man was looking at - recalling the details we had drawn/discussed.

Then, I gave her simple requests like, "Put the yellow man near the tree." "Walk the blue man to his house." "The red man needs to check his mail."

Simple, fun, ... learning!

Seuss Activity #2 - Ten Apples Up on Top

2010-03-09T15:50:00.000-08:00

For our second Dr. Seuss Book Activity, I chose a familiar book - one Natalie and I have read and enjoyed many times ...

Ten Apples Up on Top

For counting to10, this is a great book! And my toddler loves the simple animal characters.

The idea of stacking apples on your head is pretty funny, too!

That's how we started this activity. I handed NHV an apple and told her to try stacking it on her head. She giggled like crazy and gave it a try. Of course, it fell off and plopped on the ground and bruised ... but she sure had fun!

Since stacking an actual apple didn't quite work, we stacked paper apples on a photograph of NHV's (and baby sister's) head. I just printed a sheet of apples on red paper, cut them out, and put a tiny roll of tape on the back of each one. She "stacked" and re-stacked using fine motor skills. and counted all along the way.

We talked about which girl had more apples stacked on her head, and a discussion about sharing ensued. In the end, we tried to put the same number of apples on each head.

Here's the sheet-o-apples I made in PowerPoint:

Dr. Seuss - Activity #1

2010-03-02T00:06:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

In celebration of Dr. Seuss' Birthday and Read Across America, NHV and I are reading a Seuss book everyday this week. Along with each book, I've put together a quick toddler-friendly activity to share with you :)

Today we read "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish" ... or to be more accurate, we read just over half of this delightful but rather loooong book. We don't actually own this Seuss book; I picked it up at the library just for the occasion.

The text starts out rather simply with a predictable rhyme scheme but gets complicated with so many words having the same sound. However, we really enjoyed the illustrations and found lots of meaningful opportunities to count.

After reading (most of) the story, I put a page of fish in front of NHV and asked her to count them.

One fish, two fish, three fish, ...

Then I picked up a crayon and asked her, "What number is this fish?" She started out with 1, 2, 3, and then out of nowhere skipped to 16. Back to 4. And finally 20. I went with it because my goal was for her to say a number and then see it written. Mission accomplished.

The fish were printed on white paper, so we grabbed the crayons and colored each one a different color. I liked the repeated shape for this because it gave her a chance to kind of experiment with her method of coloring. Most of the fish were covered with a few circles of color but she also tried back-and-forth scribbles.

I also printed the same sheet of fish on three different colored papers ... red, blue, and yellow. We attempted a few patterns starting with alternating red-blue. NHV did fairly well with that one, so I upped the ante a little and tried yellow-yellow-blue-yellow ... as you can see in the photo, she was struggling and tired by this point ... we'll have to try that one again another day.

Here's my "sheet-of-fish" - you should be able to click to enlarge it and print ...

Tomorrow's activity ... Ten Apples Up on Top!

Read Across America

2010-03-01T00:20:00.000-08:00

"You're never too old,
too wacky, too wild,
to pick up a book
and read to a child."

Tomorrow - March 2nd - is National Read Across America Day. It also happens to be Dr. Seuss' birthday ... no accident or mere coincidence here.

This is a day designated to celebrate reading and the impact Dr. Seuss books have had on generations of young readers.

This is also a great opportunity to read a book (or a dozen) with your toddler. And why not make it a Dr. Seuss book? I am certain there's at least one (or a dozen) living on a shelf in your house right now!

If not, you could always turn to the great-and-powerful internet ...

The official Seussville website.

YouTube Videos, like ...

Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You?

I Can Read with my Eyes Shut

There's a Wocket in my Pocket

Or, be inspired by these Seuss-themed Muffin Tins; I especially love this one.

NHV and I plan to celebrate this special day ... all week long ... with five of our favorite Seuss books.

Be sure to check back tomorrow for a peek at our Seuss Activity-of-the-Day :)

Everyday Learning: Left and Right

2010-02-24T02:38:00.000-08:00

I've been working lately with NHV to learn left and right ... in particular her hands and feet :)

Here are a few simple things that have worked for me us:

Play Hokey Pokey ... there's a no brainer for you ;P

But it's also helpful if you put gloves and socks on before you start playing. When the song announces, "Put your right hand in," I take off her right glove as a visual and kinesthetic clue. Same thing with the socks. Or you can add a sticker to the hand or foot that the song calls for.

Another game we love to play ... and it is a little "gross" ...

Let Me Smell Those Feet

I don't ever make NHV smell MY feet, but I do pretend to smell hers, and she loves it! I'll say, "I wonder which foot is stinkier, your right foot - sniff, sniff - or your left foot - sniff, sniff." I throw in a few dramatic "peee-uuuus" and we start giggling! Then I'll ask her to raise her right foot so I can get another smell ... and so on. If feet smelling is too disgusting for you, we've also played Let Me Kiss That Hand :)

I Want To Hold Your Hand ...

"Which hand do you want me to hold? Your right or your left?"

Giving choices is a way of helping toddlers feel in control. And an in-control toddler is a happy toddler, so I am constantly offering NHV a choice ... to the point of being silly really! But this isn't a silly example. It has ended hand-holding struggles and reinforced her distinction of left from right.

Which Way Do We Go?

When we're on a walk around the neighborhood and come to an intersection, I let NHV make the decision (again, I think choices are awesome!). I tell her to STOP and then stand with her arms out like the letter T.

I say, "Wiggle your right hand. Wiggle your left hand." This is a great way to practice the need to stop and listen. Then, I explain her choices while shaking the coordinating hand. If we go RIGHT, we'll end up at the big park. If we go LEFT, we'll end up walking past O's house." Which way do you want to go?"

Got the Munchies

While NHV is eating a snack like Veggie Booty or Yogurt Bites - something she picks up with her fingers - I'll tell her, "Your right hand has the munchies. See if you can eat two bites with your right hand."

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What special tricks do you know for reinforcing left versus right?

Pinecones, Rocks, and Leaves

2010-02-19T00:06:00.000-08:00

Oh My!

The weather here in the NW has been incredible ... very un-winter-like. There's been plenty of sunshine and moderate temperatures, which means we've been taking walks ... and squinting as we go!

When you're "stuck" at home with a two year old and a two month old, the chance to get outside is such a blessing. When your walk turns into an afternoon activity for the toddler, you've pretty much hit the jackpot!

As we walked through our 'hood, NHV carried a plastic bucket and collected whatever struck her fancy ... mainly pinecones, rocks, and leaves (as the title of this post suggests :P).

When we got home, first order of business was to give her "finds" a bath. Natalie loves to bathe things, and it usually eats up a good 20 minutes ...

While running the water, we talk about temperature and feel the water change from really cold to warm. I also remind her that colors on the faucet knobs tells us which is hot, which is cold.
As the sink fills, we do gentle splashes and harder splashes to see what happens ... how is the noise different? what happens to the water? A big mess ensues, but that's okay :)
Objects go in the water one at a time. We talk about how the color changes when it gets wet.
And finally, Natalie "observes" that some of the objects go to the bottom of the sink while others stay at the top. Great opportunity to reinforce vocabulary: sink and float.

We also took the time to dry everything and wipe out the sink ... cleaning the powder room was on my To Do List anyway, and Natalie was happy to help!

And since baby sister was still taking a snooze, we decided to "take off our scientist lab coats" ... quite literally ... and get artistic.

As you can see, by artistic I mean we busted out the paper plates, brushes, and paint. No guidelines here. I just squirted a little paint on the plates and we gave Mother Nature a little run for her money ;)

I love that Natalie gets some fine motor practice, and she just loves that she's making a mess!

How do you turn a simple walk into an afternoon of fun?

Musical Hand Wash Timers

2010-02-17T23:44:00.000-08:00

I have always been a big advocate for handwashing. As an elementary school teacher. As the mom of a toddler. As a person who prefers being healthy over being sick.

I am not a germaphobe, but I am very germ conscious, especially since bringing a newborn into my house.

I insist (politely, of course) that NHV wash her hands as soon as we get home from where ever we've been ... eventhough I've already doused her with hand sanitizer when we get in the car.

As she climbs up on her stool, I even explain to her that we are washing the germs off our hands. When she asks, "What are germs?" I tell her they are things that can make you sick and they get on our hand when we touch things that a lot of other people have also touched. (I sure hope I don't give her some huge complex!)

While we're at the sink, we pick a song and sing together ... a good distraction for making sure we've scrubbed long enough.

Recently, I saw this advertised in a magazine ... and further "researched" it online ...

http://gethealthyhands.com/index.html

It's a little timer that attaches to the top of your soap dispenser. The music plays for about 25 seconds, the recommended time for effective hand washing. For the reasonable price of $3.99, I think I've gotta try this.

Perhaps this will make hand washing more fun, and it may even encourage a bit of independence.

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What do you think? Worth the money? Necessary?

Do you have tricks you use to make hand washing fun and effective? Please share!

Question of the Day - Naps

2010-02-08T09:01:00.000-08:00

As moms (and dads), we are suppose to have ALL the answers, right?! The big ones like the hows and whys. And the more mundane wheres - like my shoes? I tell ya, Alex Trebek's got nothing on the parents of the world!

It's a good thing we have each other to rely on. To share what works and what doesn't. To suggest a new approach. To tell about the latest and greatest and the oldies-but-goodies. To speak from experience. To learn from mistakes. To impart wisdom. To provide ah-ha moments :)

Right around the holiday season, my husband composed this little ditty to the tune of "Oh, Christmas Tree." It has since become a daily ritual ... we sing it on our way up the stairs at naptime.

Oh nappy-poo
Oh nappy-poo
It is that time in the afternoon

Oh nappy-poo
Oh nappy-poo
What would we do without you?

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Now, there's a question. What would we do without our naptimes?

At our house, I so look forward to 1:00 ... when I know that I won't be entertaining my toddler for a few hours. And I may even manage to accomplish something around the house .... or, gasp, take a nap myself!

NHV (2.5 years old) naps for about three hours every day. I put her down around 1:00 and never let her sleep past 4:30. However, in the past few weeks, she has thrown her fair share of nap rebellions. At least once a week, she completely refuses to nap. I insist that she rest for two hours. And when NHV doesn't nap, she's a cranky mess, so I know she NEEDS a good nap everyday.

So here's my question for you ...

Is your toddler still napping? For how long? At what time of the day? Are you having any nap struggles? Be sure to include your toddler's age in your comment.

Try It: Foam Paint

2010-02-01T03:18:00.000-08:00

Love to paint with your toddler?

Or at least love the idea of painting with your toddler?

Hate the mess?

Hate all the wasted paint?

Hate the time it takes to dry?

Hate the thought of toxins or allergens?

If you're head's a-nodding ...

You've gotta get some FOAM PAINT.

I stumbled upon this fantastic art supply while at a recent preschool open house (a big decision process I'll save for another post). Based on a quick search, I think you have to order it online - wish a local store carried it. I did find foam paint at this school supply site for about $5 per bottle. I think it would be completely worth it to order a few bottles and pay for the shipping, especially when you consider ...

Foam paint does not spill ... or drip!
A quick squirt - right out of the can - is all it takes to get your toddler painting with fingers or brushes or any kind of painting tool.
The product overview claims that "an 8 oz. can equals 14 full cups of awesome art activities," and 14 cups is a lot of paint!
Also, foam paint is completely allergen free ... the description says that it does not contain latex, dairy, casein, egg, gluten, peanut, tree nut, or soy.
It dries very quickly ... and you can even wipe it with a paper towel to dry it instantly!

Art projects just got a whole lot more fun with FOAM PAINT!

Return of the Brain

2010-01-27T18:17:00.000-08:00

It's been an exhausting and wonderful eight weeks. My brain has been mostly occupied with nursing (or pumping) around the clock, sleep deprivation, and changing lots of diapers. But now I've got plans to revive ToddlerBrain.

Maternity Leave is Over!

ToddlerBrain will be back starting February 1st!

Lots of fun ideas to share!

Big News

2009-12-09T09:25:00.000-08:00

Charlotte Jane was born on December 2nd ...

I'm on maternity leave ... but hoping to return soon :)

Hasbro Rebate at Toys R Us

2009-11-11T14:22:00.000-08:00

File this one under crazy. fabulous rebate! I just heard about this on my mom's group message board - thanks, Shelly, and thought you'd appreciate the heads-up.

Hasbro and Toys R Us has teamed up to offer classic board games (like Memory, Candy Land, Cooties, Chutes and Ladders) at a HUGE (and dare I say, exciting) discount!

Most of the preschool games cost about $3.99 plus you get a $2.00 rebate on each game. Are you doing the math? That's about $1.99 per game, right?

It gets better ... no way, you say?! Way ...

In addition, Toys R Us is offering a $10 gift card for purchases over $25.00.

Yep, you can buy 6 or 7 games (give them as gifts, donate to a toy drive, play them yourself), get the rebate and the gift card, and end up spending less than a dollar per game!

Here's the link to the official rebate information.

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File this under side note :) There's also been a mass "recall" of Baby Einstein DVDs and books. This has been out there for a while, but I mentioned it to someone yesterday who didn't know about it ... so just in case, here's the story.

Oh, and Maclaren is doing a massive stroller recall, too - something about fingertip amputations - yikes! Here's that story.

Today's Toddler Breakfast: Mini Frittata

2009-11-11T14:03:00.000-08:00

I mentioned awhile back that we are in a breakfast rut, which led me to morning smoothies. But I've also been making a very concerted effort to pack a good protein punch into our morning meal. Which means we've been eating a lot of scrambled eggs. That's the only way I know how to make eggs ... scrambled. Don't know how to fry them or poach them or even turn them green. But now I do know how to frittata them, and I will be frittata-ing again very soon.

This recipe was so simple and quick and delicious - that's pretty much my checklist when cooking anything. Throw in there, toddler-pleasing, and you've got yourself one happy mama!

What? Your mouth is watering? You want mini frittatas for breakfast tomorrow morning? Oh, you want the recipe? Sure, no problem ... just so you know, I halved the recipe and it was plenty for me and NHV; the leftovers are good, too!

Ingredients:

6 large eggs
1/3 cup milk
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. freshly-ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup chopped turkey pepperoni
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a mini muffin tin with cooking spray.
Whisk together eggs, milk, salt, pepper and parsley. Stir in pepperoni. This is a great chance for your toddler to help :)
Divide cheddar cheese among 24 mini muffin cups. (Again, I only made 12 - with three eggs.)
Pour egg mixture into a measuring cup with a spout. Pour egg mixture over cheese, filling cups to the top.
Bake 10-14 minutes until mini frittatas are puffed and golden brown on top. (We snuggled up and read a book while we waited for our "egg muffins" to bake.)

Original recipe (no, not the Colonel's) can be found here.

Idea to Try: Flashlight Pointing

2009-11-11T13:50:00.000-08:00

This idea comes from what was an attempt at distraction/substitution and has become a vast learning experience! I love happy little surprises like this one.

My toddler recently became obsessed with turning light switches on ... and off ... on ... and off. She'd scoot a stool or turn over a basket to be able to reach the switch. Much "fun" was being had and maybe a little learning, too ... on and off are opposites, right?

Of course, there were multiple times when she fell off the stool or basket. And daddy wasn't thrilled with the idea of "playing with electricity." We needed a compromise. We needed something that could be turned on and off. We needed a flashlight!

Brilliant, I know ;) It took some time for NHV to figure out how to use this switch but she was pleased that it had the same effect ... on ... off ... on ... off. Of course, that only lasted for about a minute. And then she started seeing the true potential of this light source. It can be directed and shined (is that a word?) on all kinds of surfaces. This light travels all around the room. It can move fast or slow. You can see it better when the other lights are off. Every minute there was a new idea ... you could just about see a little light bulb over her head :)

Not wanting to be left out of this fun learning experience, mommy got involved and brought in some vocabulary practice.

I asked her to point the light at ...

objects like the floor, the ceiling, the TV, the clock, the door knob, ...
body parts like mommy's belly and her own belly button (that was a huge hit) - but not people's eyes!

And then we practiced shapes by hunting around the house with our flashlight.

Find the ...

circle (clock, door knob, ball, Louie's cat toy, ... )
rectangle (TV, book, drawer, cabinet door, ... )
triangle - this one was just too hard

We went to her new big girl room and shined the like on all the owls we could find. I used the light to point to each of the letters in her name as she said the letters aloud.

Finally, I kept the lights dimmed in her room, and we read a story by flashlight. I could shine the light on certain parts of the illustrations and ask questions. I moved the light across the text as I read. My toddler loved it all!

Teacher Thoughts: This was discovery learning at its finest. I intended for the flashlight to be a substitute for the light switch, but in the hands of a toddler, it became so much more! I was just watching a PBS program on "open-ended" learning, and this was a powerful testament to impact of giving ownership to the learner. "Opening" the door to what a toddler can do with an everyday object.

When I think about learning, I always think about modality - how is the learning being "sensed" - seeing, hearing, touching. The flashlight covers all three modalities ... NHV was taking in the world through her eyes (enhanced by the use of light), through her ears (following directions and making observations), and through her sense of touch (by holding the flashlight and using motor skills to direct the beam).

BGB Transition - Major Breakthrough

2009-11-11T08:13:00.000-08:00

I almost hate to write this post ... don't want to jinx it ... but ...

Natalie has slept in her big girl bed - without any resistance or "game-playing" - for the past two nights!

Attempt 5: Bedtime, Monday

After not napping and playing hard with daddy all evening, NHV was Ready (with a capital R) for bed by 8:15. We were hoping that would work to our advantage in this whole BGB transition. And, guess what? It did! She snuggled right in and was snoring within about two minutes.

I breathed a huge sigh of relief and hoped it would last through the night ... I really didn't want another repeat of Saturday night's three-hour bed hopping, game playing. And, guess what? It did ... last through the night. She slept for a solid 12 hours! I actually went in at 8:00 when I still hadn't heard a peep. She was just waking up, sucking that darn binky, and looking around her big girl room ... with that I am sure was admiration. Yes, she slept through the night and stayed in her bed "until mommy or daddy came to get her." Woo Hoo!

Attempt 5: Afternoon Nap, Tuesday

We played at Kid's Quest and enjoyed a lunch date at Five Guys ... Natalie was totally worn out. During lunch my friend Terri and I chatted about loveys, and I expressed my sadness that NHV had given hers up about a month after her second birthday. Well, she must've heard us talking about her Kitty (and G's Dudley) because she wanted her Kitty for naptime. I checked on her about 15 minutes after putting her down, and she was snoring away - in her big girl bed - with Kitty tucked under her arm ... brought happy tears to my eyes :) Love that balance between her still being my baby girl but also tackling big-girl-hood!

Attempt 6: Bedtime, Tuesday

She did it - AGAIN! NHV slept all night ... 11 hours ... in her big girl bed. I checked on her like four times - as long as I am awake for a potty break, I might as well steal a glimpse of my big girl! She was uncovered once, and another time her little booty was almost hanging off the bed between the headboard and the guard rail. Regardless, she kept right on snoozing. The best part ... when she woke up this morning, I gave a few minutes to chat and sing - like she did in her crib - rather than rushing in to get her. And she stayed in her bed until I got there! When she first saw me, her eyes lit up, she smiled around her (darn) binky, and then said, "I seep in big gurl bed las nite. I tay in bed til mommy come."

By George, I think she's got it!

I'll be back to reflect on the things we did right and the mistakes we made ...

And if you want to see more photos of NHV's Big Girl Room, click here :)

Easy, Fun, Craft: Apple Turkeys

2009-11-11T05:17:00.000-08:00

It's a bird.

It's a piece of ... fruit.

It's super adorable; there's no doubt!

Found this irresistible and edible craft

at one of my new favorite blogs, Little Page Turners

This delightful blog couples great books with cute crafts and adventures.

It's a wealth of ideas for parents and teachers; each week is a new theme!

BGB Transition - The Saga Continues

2009-11-09T18:36:00.000-08:00

So clearly this Big Girl Bed Transition isn't going to be a weekend deal ... ha, ha ... I am so naive and hopeful and anxious to unpack BGV 2.0's stuff! After that first night of mixed results - she put herself to sleep, but then woke up. We negotiated for almost 3 hours, and she finished out the night in her crib - we are continuing on that same trajectory.

Attempt 2: Afternoon Nap

NHV and I spent the morning at a baby shower for a good friend of ours who also happens to have a daughter the same age. Needless to say, Natalie was fairly tuckered out from all that excitement. We did our usual naptime routine - except she declined my offer to read stories. She didn't hesitate to climb into her new BGB, but she also didn't hesitate to climb out and be put back numerous times. After about 40 minutes, she did fall asleep and took her typical three-hour snooze. I was beaming with pride and possibility! Perhaps this was the breakthrough we needed ...

Attempt 3: Bedtime

... or not. After the usual routine, we played the game for a good hour. At first she kept climbing out of her bed, but after three reminders and put-backs, she finally resorted to staying put and calling, "Mommy. Daddy. Need You." I promised to check on her when she called, so that's what I did ... over and over and over again. Sometimes we cuddled. Sometimes we chatted. Sometimes I just reminded her that I love her very much and got the heck out of there. (I am learning that the later strategy is probably the best one!)

All of which was to no avail. At about 10:00 - hoping to catch up on an episode of Flash Forward (hard to do when interrupted every three minutes or so) - daddy (with my blessing) put Natalie back in her crib for the night. On the way, she asked, "Seep big girl bed morrow?"

Clearly it isn't a matter of hating her new BGB or room. During all three of these attempts, she hasn't cried or really even complained. She just can't put herself to sleep ... and/or stay asleep.

Attempt 4: Afternoon Nap

While I attended my weekly appointment at my specialist's office, daddy gave it a go ... gave it the ol' college try, if you will. She went in her big girl bed at 1:30, played the up-and-down game twice, but then stayed in her bed chatting, singing, and definitely NOT sleeping for two long periods. Until I got home at 3:30, gave her another 20 minutes, and then went to "rescue" her. Which means my daughter, who normally take a three hour afternoon nap, did not take a nap at all today! This better not be a trend, people, 'cause momma likey those nappies .... you know?!

The Big Girl Bed Transition

2009-11-09T05:14:00.000-08:00

Woo Hoo! The Big Girl Room is complete ... and looking absolutely owl-dorable! But I am saving all those details for Wednesday's post - over at MommyBrain ... with lots of photos to share!

I did very minimal research concerning the "big girl bed transition" - hey, being super-fabulous crafty takes time and effort!

What I remember reading mentioned something about allowing 6 to 8 weeks before the expectant arrival of a second child ... I am sitting pretty at 33 weeks right now ... so fingers crossed, I am going to make this deadline ... after going off my contraction-limiting drugs next week ... yikes!

Anyhoo, we got the "big girl bed" ball rolling last night. We've been talking about it since Labor Day, and she was beyond excited when we presented her with her new bed and room yesterday afternoon.

As I tucked her in - for the first time in her big girl bed - I can only imagine what it must've been like for her sweet little brain to take in all of that excitement and newness and change. You know that feeling of lying in a bed that isn't yours? Staring at a ceiling with different shadows. Longing for the familiarity of your own surroundings. That's how I imagined my two year olds first attempt at sleeping in her new big girl room. My senses were so heightened for her. It felt like having a newborn sleeping in a bassinet all over again.

Attempt 1: Bedtime

It took Natalie about an hour to fall asleep. But she stayed in her bed and managed to put herself to sleep with very minimal intervention. I was completely torn between feeling tremendous pride for her accomplishment and lots of sadness over how much she has grown up ... in such a short amount of time.

Through the monitor I could hear her breathing settle into it's rhythmic pattern, and I tiptoed in to see her with my own eyes ... stretched out in her twin-sized bed. It seemed so strange, and my heart ached a little. I spent the next 20 minutes across the hall - in what was once NHV's nursery and soon-to-be BGV's room - and rocked and cried and sobbed and let the memories of the past two years wash over me. Change, especially growing up, is hard on me - always has been - and I knowing that those moments are gone just makes me sad ... almost like homesickness, if that makes any sense.

I splashed the tears from my face and went to bed. Only to be woken up at 1:00 by a cry for "mommy." I bolted upright and sprinted into her room ... not wanting her to be afraid in her new surroundings. Wanting to make sure she knows that I am still right here when she needs me.

The next THREE hours was a series of cuddles in our bed, cuddles in her bed, requests for milk, chats about our day, and many return trips to her big girl bed ... despite our clear instructions that she must stay in her bed until mommy or daddy comes to get her. We'll come when she calls us, but she needs to stay in bed. Yeah, right! I can't tell you how many times I would hear the quiet thud followed by the pitter-patter of her feet. Throughout the entire three hour (admittedly too long) event, she never cried or seemed visibly upset. I think she was just overwhelmed and excited and oversimulated. She just could not put herself back to sleep. And so at around 4:00, she went back in her crib ... so we could all get some much needed rest. But even as CPV carried her back to her "old" room, she was asking to sleep in her big girl bed. Being the awesome daddy that he is, Chad explained that all the excitement was making it hard for her to fall asleep and that she could sleep in her big girl bed again tomorrow. It was just what she needed to hear, and she slept until about 8:30 this morning.

I am curious to see how this transition progresses ... and hopeful that continued patience will win the race!

If you have any tips, advice, insight to offer ... please share :)

Foliage Friends

2009-11-06T09:12:00.000-08:00

After lots of ... you guessed it ... RAIN and wind, the trees are almost bare here in the NW.

My backyard full of leaves keeps calling ... "craft with me. Make me into something adorable."

Okay, if I must ...

Today we'll make Foliage Friends because I adore alliteration and just look how cute ...

For all the details, click here.

Check back for photos of our creations :)

Idea to Try: Toddler Tasks

2009-11-02T04:44:00.000-08:00

My good - and super smart - friend Carrie - aka Oliver's momma - recently sent me a great idea she stumbled upon here, we'll call this the original idea post.

The basic idea is to use visual chore cards to remind your kiddos of tasks that need to be done. Cards are laid out or displayed, and as they do their chores, you put the cards in the "done" spot (or flip over the card).

I love the idea of giving toddlers - even as young as my 27 month old - some responsibilities. And I love the idea of having a VISUAL cue rather than hearing my own voice remind/ask/nag constantly; guessing my toddler could use a break from that as well. The cards will also serve as a reminder to me that these are tasks Natalie can do for herself, things I don't need to control. I am certain this will take some time (and training) to implement, but it seems like an idea worth trying!

My plan is to take photos this week (see the original idea post) and start one upstairs and one downstairs task ... just to see how it goes.

My List of Possible Toddler Tasks:

Upstairs (displayed in her room):

put dirty clothes in the basket
choose socks from the drawer
put away bath toys
brush teeth (with help)

Downstairs (displayed on side of fridge):

take off shoes and put away
wash hands when returning home / before meals (with help)
park play stroller and cart
put away Little People
put away crayons / craft supplies

Carrie's List of Toddler Tasks:

brush teeth
put cars in the car bucket
clear dishes
put shoes and coat away after school
clothes in the laundry

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What task is your toddler ready for? Is this an idea you can see yourself trying? Do you already do something like this that works great? Please share!

Halloween Costumes for Little Ones

2009-10-30T08:14:00.000-07:00

Google image searches produce the most interesting results.

Don't you agree?

These made me go .... hmmmmmm?! Your reaction?

Babies already make plenty of their own flatulence and reaction-worthy noises, do we really need to advertise?

Just getting ready for the next big holiday, huh?

The poultry trend continues ... but this one is beyond disturbing! That's an alien spawn breaking through that adorable chicken's tummy. Guessing there's a daddy behind this ingenious costume :)

I'm a fan. Think the man was an amazing performer.

Not interested in dressing my toddler as Michael Jackson - now or ever.

You'd need to have a precocious toddler to pull this one off ...

Can't help but think of Chitown Momma's husband with this one ... he's just ballsy (and hilarious) enough to give this a try (and get away with it) - hee, hee!

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What do YOU think of these costume choices? Did you laugh? Cringe?

More importantly, what costume will your little one

be wearing for this Halloween?

Footprint Ghosties

2009-10-23T08:29:00.000-07:00

The perfect - easy and fun - Halloween craft!

Giving credit where credit is due ... this idea came from Chitown Momma ... and I modified it just a bit.

All you need:

Toddler's foot ... please leave it attached ;)
Package of baby wipes ... I was so glad I had these nearby!
Black marker
Black Construction paper
Foam brush or paintbrush of some sort
White paint - I used this ...

First strip down your little pumpkin down to her/his diaper ... the paint is washable, but I like to keep my mess and my laundry to a minimum.
Put down some newspaper and a sheet of black paper on top.
Sit down just behind the newly prepared "canvas" and put excited toddler in your lap.
Use the brush to spread white paint all over the bottom of your toddler's foot and toes. I chanted, "Tickle, tickle, tickle," while applying the paint, and NHV thought it was hilarious!
Press the foot to the black paper - give it a little side-to-side roll - and lift if off.
Turn that footprint upside down ... viola! A cute little ghostie!
Once it dries, grab a black marker and make a ghostie expression :)
There are lots of options for what to do with your finished footprint, I trimmed off the excess black paper, glued it to a piece of orange paper, added initials and the date, and made it into a card for the grandparents. I think Chitown made some sort of wreath with ghostie footprints and pumpkin handprints.

You have exactly one week until Halloween; plenty of time to make your own Footprint Ghosties! Have fun!

Accidents Happen: Fall & Head Injury

2009-10-22T15:22:00.000-07:00

No other age group is as busy, curious, energetic, fast-moving, agile, and fearless as toddlers. We anxiously await the day they take their first steps and then protectively cringe as walking leads to running and climbing and falling. Of course with every fall comes a fear of head injury. I know of a mother who strapped a helmet on her son from the age of 2 to 3 - simply as a precautionary measure! Yes, toddlers fall ... all the time. They fall off their own feet. They fall from pieces of furniture. They fall from atop stools. They fall from swings and slides. They fall through ... windows.

Yep, my best friend Missy - known her since high school, lived with her in college, see her at least once a year despite living in different parts of the country - and her typical toddler, Emmett, recently had the "fall through the window" experience, and she's agreed to share their story with you ... it's a good one!

It was a beautiful, sunny Saturday. We were enjoying a cool breeze in our backyard when our 19 month old son, Emmett, decided that he wanted a snack. Not wanting to lose that fresh, cool Colorado breeze when we went inside, I did something that I never do--I opened the windows. Don't ask why I never do this...perhaps in my gut I knew what would happen if I did. After handing my little boy a treat, I joined my hubby on the couch for a little chit-chat. Behind our couch is a ledge with a wall of windows behind it. I have never understood why this ledge exists. It serves absolutely no purpose. It's just there. A constant annoyance that requires me to say many, many times on a daily basis, "Emmett! Get down from there!"

On this particular day, I was distracted and didn't notice E making the vertical climb up to the ledge. All I know is that about thirty seconds after taking my seat on the couch, I heard a little bump. Not a loud sound, barely audible, in fact, except to a mother's ears. I looked up and noticed that the window screen was torn. And E was nowhere is sight. "Oh, my god, Joe...Emmett fell out the window!"

We immediately bolted out the back door to our patio. Sure enough, there was Emmett...lying on his back and struggling to get up like a turtle that has landed shell-side down. I ran over to him and picked him up (probably too quickly since I didn't know if he was hurt). He didn't appear to be in pain, and he didn't even cry...until, of course, he saw the tears welling up in my eyes and heard the panic in my voice. Then, the floodgates opened..quickly, loudly and without pause, for a good five minutes. Then all of a sudden, he saw our cat walk in front of us, said "CAAAAT!", jumped off my lap and ran to his little feline friend. I thought, "What the heck? Could that be it?" Although my husband insisted that he was okay (typical man), I called the Children's Hospital and spoke with a nurse. She asked how far he had fallen. Luckily, it was only about 3 1/2 feet, but he did land on paver stones. She asked if he had any bumps or bruises...nope. Just one little cut above his forehead. Is he falling down or dizzy? Nope. Complaining of pain? Nope. She said that since he wasn't showing any signs of head trauma and since the fall wasn't more than twice his height, our only course of action was to observe him for 48 hours. He had to sleep with us for two nights, and each night we had to wake him up and make him walk around the room to make sure he didn't have a concussion. Now, unfortunately for E (and us), he is truly like his Momma in that he DOES NOT like to be woken up, particularly for a leisurely stroll at 3 o'clock in the morning. He was mad, mad, mad and he let us know it. After 48 hours, I was finally convinced that we had escaped this little episode unscathed.

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As I read this story, I realize just how easily something like this happens. And how scary it can be. As parents it is tough to cover all the bases of child-proofing, and I think we must accept that falls will happen. We can somewhat "prepare" ourselves for the more serious falls by knowing how to react, what to look for, and who to call. This Falls: Safety Sheet from KidsHealth.org is a great place to start and a handy reference to print and keep on hand.

In addition to Missy's firsthand account, I would encourage you to read this article ... for some common sense reminders and tips:

Household Safety: Preventing Injuries from Falling, Climbing and Grabbing

Spek-tacular Offer

2009-10-18T23:58:00.000-07:00

Remember these guys? And their delightful sing-along songs? And this delightful review I posted a while back? And the fabulous giveaway?

Well, if you aren't already listening to, singing-along with, and dancing a jig to the musical talents of The Speks, you are seriously missing out ... and YOU'RE IN LUCK ... as the Irish might say!

I just received this message and generous offer from Quince, one of The Speks:

We had a great response from your Spek-tacular review and to show our appreciation to you and your readers we have created a Discount Code called DVH so that your readers and friends can download our album as an MP3 for 3 Euro (that’s about $4.50) which is the lowest price for our music anywhere in the whole wide world! DVH can be entered as a Discount Code at checkout in Our Shop on our website.

Just to clarify, The Speks are offering readers of ToddlerBrain the chance to purchase their entire CD - all 17 songs - for less than $5! Just enter the code DVH at checkout. How can you possibly pass up that offer?! Original, enjoyable, educational music all the way from Ireland can be yours ... right now ... just click :)

This is how Quince signs his email messages to me ... and I love it ...

As always, sing along and sing loud!

Oh, we do. We do! In fact, if I can capture it on video, I will post my sweet toddler singing along to number 16, Homeward Bound ... a song about a horse with lyrcis that go faster and faster. It is so darn cute!

Caspar Babypants ... In Concert & Camera

2009-10-14T22:11:00.000-07:00

I think we're officially groupies. Caspar Babypants groupies. How awesome is that?! Natalie and I - along with a group of our mommy and baby friends - and as many other fans as could squeeze into a local library - saw a live performance of Caspar Babypants.

The songs were fantastic, and I felt super cool because I knew the words to pretty much every song. Which probably has something to do with the fact that we've been listening to Here I Am! in the car, on the iPod dock in N's room, on the laptop while making dinner, ... all the time! NHV even sings along in the car, and her sweet little voice just about melts my mommy heart! And Caspar previewed a few new tunes from the upcoming release of his second CD. I liked what I heard - and plan to buy More Please! when it comes out November 17.

The energy from the three of them ... Babypants on guitar and lead vocals, Babyshirt on percussion and general silliness, and Babyshoes on keyboards ... was contagious! The threesome hammed it up for the kiddos and didn't take themselves too seriously. Parents and kiddos were having an absolute blast! Natalie danced and stayed happy for most of the hour-long show. We did take a snack break and shared a "binky cuddle," but overall it was just perfect!

After the concert, I stormed the stage to introduce myself. Seriously, I was the first person up there. I was somewhat starstruck at the chance to meet Caspar (aka Chris Ballew) - hey, I don't get out much :) Like a dork, I introduced myself as ToddlerBrain - since we've meet via my blog and subsequent emails. I think he recognized me ... or at least had a vague memory of my blog name. I then promptly handed him my precious two year old and started taking pictures. How pushy is that?! He didn't seem to mind too much, and the pics are priceless. When we talked about our day, Natalie mentioned Caspar with much enthusiasm, and even said, "Him hold me. Mommy take picture."

Can't wait for the next Caspar Babypants show ... that's not during naptime :)

Accidents Happen: Choking

2009-10-14T08:23:00.000-07:00

I know I've spent an exorbitant amount of time thinking about what to feed my toddler ... what she'll actually eat, what has some good nutritional value, what makes for a balanced meal, ... but I haven't spent nearly enough time considering the dangers posed by those foods. Especially the danger of choking ... how to prevent it and what to do if/when it happens.

This post was written by my good friend Deann. Her daughter Sahara, a cautious and neat eater ... uses utensils like a pro, takes one bite at a time and barely needs a bib (the complete opposite of my own toddler) has had two recent choking incidents.

It was a routine lunch time. My girl was having some dinosaur style chicken nuggets, green peas, and some other yummy lunch item that I can't remember now. I was trying to get the nuggets cut up a bit smaller when my sweet Sahara grabs my fingers and looks at me with eyes wide open in a mix of shock and fear. She was choking on one of those darn chicken nuggets. I tried not to panic and whacked her on the back a few good times and the chunk came up, thankfully!

It was a scary moment for both of us! I am so thankful that I am usually very close when its a meal time, I would have felt more than horrible to have walked away for too long during that one crucial moment and not been there to help her. The realization of the possible outcome is more than I can bear to think about.

We recently had a second choking experience at dinner with my in-laws and husband present. Sahara was doing so well at chewing up green beans, loving eating them as a matter of fact, when suddenly she was choking on one. She didn't quite get it chewed up well enough and most of the bean was intact and stuck in her throat. My husband actually did a mouth sweep to get it out and that also worked well, especially for the bean scenario. Once again, we were reminded to make sure that things are cut up, even if they seem to be handling chewing the food item with ease.

So, some rules that I've set up are 1) always cut up food in smaller pieces, even if you think that he/she is old enough to handle bigger pieces; 2) DO NOT walk far away!; 3) Keep an eye on the kiddo while they are eating; 4) DO NOT let them walk around with snacks, make them finish them sitting down while you are nearby

Here are a few tips from the American Academy of Pediatrics:

What can I do to keep my child from choking?

Do not feed children younger than 4 years round, firm food unless it is chopped completely. Round, firm foods are common choking dangers. When infants and young children do not grind or chew their food well, they may try to swallow it whole. The following foods can be choking hazards:

Hot dogs, Nuts and seeds, Chunks of meat or cheese, Whole grapes, Hard, gooey, or sticky candy, Popcorn, Chunks of peanut butter, Raw vegetables, Fruit chunks, such as apple chunks, Chewing gum

Dangerous household items

Keep the following household items away from infants and children:

Balloons, Coins, Marbles, Toys with small parts, Toys that can be squeezed to fit entirely into a child's mouth, Small balls, Pen or marker caps, Small button-type batteries, Medicine syringes

What you can do to prevent choking

Learn CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) (basic life support).

Be aware that balloons pose a choking risk to children up to 8 years of age.

Keep the above foods from children until 4 years of age.

Insist that children eat at the table, or at least while sitting down. They should never run, walk, play, or lie down with food in their mouths.

Cut food for infants and young children into pieces no larger than one-half inch, and teach them to chew their food well.

Supervise mealtime for infants and young children.

Be aware of older children's actions. Many choking incidents occur when older brothers or sisters give dangerous foods, toys, or small objects to a younger child.

Avoid toys with small parts, and keep other small household items out of the reach of infants and young children.

Follow the age recommendations on toy packages. Age guidelines reflect the safety of a toy based on any possible choking hazard as well as the child's physical and mental abilities at various ages.

Check under furniture and between cushions for small items that children could find and put in their mouths.

Do not let infants and young children play with coins.

Published online: 2/07

Source: Choking Prevention and First Aid for Infants and Children (Copyright � 2006 American Academy of Pediatrics, Updated 4/06)

Blogging Adventure of the eebee Kind

2009-10-11T23:00:00.000-07:00

If you don't recognize this adorable little baby, you and your toddler have been missing out on the greatest thing to happen to developmental learning!

This is eebee ... and eebee's Adventures (videos, books, and more) are founded on the philosophy that every baby learns by doing. Through the eebee lens, parents and little ones are able to see the power of play and the importance of discovery learning. "eebee’s adventures focus on the developmental skills that babies are working on and use as the foundation of all future learning."

I've been a fan since discovering the eebee videos On Demand (when I still had cable). NHV has her very own eebee doll, and our eebee DVD is one of her absolute favorites! I've blogged about eebee before, and I recently mentioned eebee as one of my favorite options for toddlers watching TV. Because of the blogging I've done - and the networking power of link back-tracking, I've also been in contact with Stephen Gass, the creator of eebee.

Most recently, he bestowed on me a great honor and asked me to write a post for the eebee blog. I wrote about the eebee-inspired Play Dates I've hosted through my moms' group. This was a very exciting opportunity for me, and I hope to write for the eebee blog in the future!

It would really mean a lot to me if you'd hop on over to the eebee blog, get a few ideas for hosting your very own developmental play date, and feel free to leave a comment, too :)

Whooo can resist these adorable owls?

2009-10-08T17:31:00.000-07:00

Natalie has been all about owls for at least the past 6 months.

The current season and cooler weather seems like the perfect opportunity to share our favorite owl books as well as several variations on a Pinecone Owl craft idea.

Here's the basic idea ...

And several How-To Variations on that idea ...

Variation #1

this one came from Chitown Momma

Variation #2

Variation #3

Variation #4

Accidents Happen: Emergency Consent Form

2009-10-06T16:05:00.001-07:00

No matter what kind of Accident Happens to your toddler, it's important that his/her caregivers know essential information and have your official permission to seek appropriate treatment.

The best way to have those things all in one place and in the hands of the caregiver ... an Emergency Consent Form.

This is one that was passed along from a friend. I tweaked it a little. This is what I use for my toddler. I found it especially helpful when hubby and I went out of the country - for our 10th anniversary - and Grammy came to stay with NHV.

The form can be downloaded as a Word document. Save it to your computer, edit it with your information and print it out. Or just print and hand-write the information.

Hope you find this useful!

Question of the Day - 2

2009-10-06T07:57:00.000-07:00

Allow me to pose a few toddler-related QUESTIONS for you to ponder. If you have some insight, please leave a comment ... start a dialogue ... let's build up our arsenal of ANSWERS.

What does your toddler eat for breakfast?

I am in a total breakfast rut. And I know I rely too much on carbs because that's what I like in the morning. Typically, my toddler eats multi-grain pancakes or waffles, half a banana or a few apple slices, and about 8 ounces of milk. Some mornings I make scrambled eggs with cheese or french toast. Sometimes NHV will tolerate a bowl of oatmeal, but it's not her favorite. Any ideas? Does your toddler eat the same thing day-after-day? What options do you offer?

Can't wait to get some ideas about breakfast for toddlers!

A Little Luck of the Irish ...

2009-10-04T19:41:00.000-07:00

I had so much fun with this giveaway! Almost as much fun as traveling to Ireland for a weeklong getaway ... almost!

Thank you for humoring me with Skittle flavors, pot of gold finds, baby girl name choices, and most delightful, the heartfelt proverbs - you can read those at the end of this post!

The Winner ...
It seems my dear friend Chitown Momma (who has also done a guest blog for me) had the luck of the Irish on her side ... or maybe it was her numerous entries ... either way, she's our winner! Woo Hoo!

And here are those Proverb Entries I promised ... so sweet and creative!

Miss Mel said...
May you always have your silkies and sockies for the tearsrubber pirate and mermaid boots for the rain, warm milk in your Snow White cup,endless tickles to cheer you you, those 100 stuffed animal you each love near you,and all your heart might desire.

Raising Z said...
May you always have a smile that lights up the room,a George to cuddle, sunflower butter on toast,good friends to cheer you, family members who love and cherish you, and all your heart might desire.

Terri said...
May you always have magic kisses to heal your wounds, ice cream for the tears, prayers to calm your fears, a warm bed to crawl into, the power of love around you, and all that your heart desires.

Chi-town momma said...
This is for my toddler...May you always have cars for racing, your dog for snuggling, books for reading, music for dancing, giggles to cheer you (and everyone around you), those you love (who love you back even more!) near you, and ALL your heart might desire!!! Each night our prayer is "Dear God, Please keep Benjamin/Taylor Happy, Healthy and Safe. Amen!" If my kids are always blessed with these three wishes, life is perfect!!!

Epiphius said...
A house is not a home, but you'll always have a home in our houseWe'll give you everything you need, but not everything you wantWe wish for you unconditional love, enless belly laughs and a life full of light.

Funny Faces: Learning About Emotions

2009-10-02T00:07:00.000-07:00

by Nicola Smee

(book image is a link to Amazon)

This delightful book about a little boy’s encounter with three playful bears perfectly illustrates the connection between feelings and expressions.

Another fabulous library find - I have been hitting the jackpot lately - this book sealed the deal on emotions for my toddler. After reading and discussing this book for a few weeks, she is now pointed to faces in all the other books we read and using words like, "happy, sad, angry, frightened, and worried," to describe them. I especially love NHV's worried expression ... looks more like a fish face than worried ... it's priceless!

A few months ago, my Natalie started making strong connections to happy and sad. From about 16 months or so, her daddy and I played a silly game of putting a big smile on our face and saying, "Happy!" and then making a frown face and saying, "Sad." She thought it was hilarious, and we appreciated the acknowledgement of our obvious acting talents - ha!

From there, I tried to help NHV identify when she was obviously feeling happy ... like when she gets to share a cookie with daddy or we decide to go to the zoo. Then came the mention of, "Oh, that baby sounds sad," whenever we'd hear a baby crying in the story. I am certain that one is bound to bite me in the rear when baby sister arrives and cries because she's hungry or needs a diaper change ... I am going to be hearing a lot of, "Baby sad?" from NHV!

This book was a very natural next step.

It is very, very simple, which means the text is minimal.
The story follows a boy's playing in the woods (happy) when a bear takes his ball (sad and then angry). The bear and its cubs return (worried and then frightened) to play with the boy (happy, again.) Those are the situations I can remember - had to return the book to the library just yesterday - I think there are 7 emotions/expressions in all.
The illustrations are hand-drawn (not "real" faces) but it's still very effective.
The last page is a mirror with a facing page that shows all the expressions covered in the story.

This is definitely a book worth checking out ... if you are working on the idea of emotions/expressions with your toddler :)

Which emotions does your toddler identify with? Do you use the word frustrated with your toddler?

Scroll down to the next post for your 5th (and final) chance to enter the Speks Sing Along CD GIVEAWAY! Contest will close Sunday evening. Winner will be announced on Monday, October 5th - just before I go pick up my mom from the airport ... woo hoo!

the Speks Giveaway - Final Chance to Win!

2009-10-02T00:02:00.000-07:00

Here's your 5th - proverbial - chance to win a copy

of this fantastic kids' music CD ...

If you haven't already read my review and listened to this Irish-inspired music,

it's only a click away.

May you always have walls for the winds,

a roof for the rain, tea beside the fire,

laughter to cheer you, those you love near you,

and all your heart might desire.

This is a popular Irish proverb/blessing. Your FINAL CHANCE TO WIN requires you to wax poetic ... or at least proverbial ... and rewrite this proverb addressed to your toddler. It can be funny, ridiculous, sincere, sweet, ... whatever. And there's no pressure, all efforts are considered an entry .. but I know some of you will undoubtedly impress :)

Because this one requires a little brain power, I am leaving the giveaway open until Sunday evening ... that's three days worth of proverb-writing potential :)

the Speks Giveaway - 4th Chance to Win!

2009-10-01T00:03:00.000-07:00

Here's your 4th - wee little baby - chance to win a copy

of this fantastic kids' music CD ...

If you haven't already read my review and listened to this fantastic music,

it's only a click away.

Perhaps you've heard ... there's a wee one on the way, and she's going to need a better name than "wee one."

image from here

Here's your chance to give a little input on what we should name Baby Girl 2.0 ... IF we decide to go with an Irish origin ...

According to yeahbaby.com, these were the top 30 most popular Irish baby names for girls ... way back in 2003 (it's the best I could find).

Emma - Sarah - Aoife - Ciara - Katie - Sophie - Rachel - Chloe - Amy - Leah - Niamh - Caoimhe - Hannah - Ella - Lauren - Megan - Kate -Rebecca - Jessica - Emily - Laura - Anna - Grace - Ava - Ellen - Shauna - Roisin - Holly - Aisling - Lucy

To enter and possibly WIN the Speks GIVEAWAY (see details above), simple leave a comment with your Top Choice(s) from this list of girl names.

the Speks Giveaway - 3rd Chance to Win!

2009-09-29T20:37:00.000-07:00

Here's your 3rd - very sweet - chance to win a copy

of this fantastic kids' music CD ...

If you haven't already read my review and listened to this fantastic music,

it's only a click away.

This one is simple and fun ... here's your chance to "taste the rainbow" ...

just leave a COMMENT telling me .... which flavor is your favorite?

Missed the 2nd Chance? Click here.

Letter Recognition - Online - Part 1

2009-09-29T19:30:00.000-07:00

I am constantly finding great resources online ... sometimes it's hard to stop ... it's like an obsession! Lately, I've been focusing on Letter Recognition with my toddler. I have dozens of resources bookmarked, but I decided to give them to you in bite-size pieces ... three at a time!

A Printable Activity: Alphabet Picture Pages
Simple, black-and-white images - one for each letter of the alphabet.
This is a pdf file that prints in seconds and is ready to use - love that!

Cut apart the cards, color them, and match with foam letters.
Leave as solid pages, attach to a magnetic surface, and place a magnetic letter in the matching square.
Make letter cards and use the sets as a Memory game.
Lots of possibilities for very little work :)

An Interactive Site: Starfall.com - ABCs, Getting Ready to Read

Starfall is a plethora of resources, but I focused on this one interactive component. This activity requires a lot of clicking, but I think it's well worth that effort.

Click one of the letter blocks and the upper case and lower case letter are presented visually and verbally.
Click again and you'll hear the phonetic sound the letter makes.
Click the arrow to see a picture whose name starts with that letter.
Click again and the word is presented at the bottom of the screen and spoken aloud.
Get it? Keep clicking ...

A Video from YouTube: ABC Song, Let's Start Smart

My toddler enjoyed it, and I like that it focuses on lower case letters.

the Speks Giveaway - 2nd Chance to Win!

2009-09-29T13:23:00.000-07:00

Here's your 2nd chance to win your very own copy of a fantastic kids' music CD ...

Sing-Along Songs from Glasses Island

by the Speks

Leave a COMMENT telling me what your TODDLER would find in the pot at the end of the rainbow ... it can't be gold ... because, really, what toddler would be interested in gold?

If you haven't already read my review and listened to this fantastic music, it's only a click away.

Accidents Happen: Knocked Out Tooth

2009-09-29T00:03:00.000-07:00

Baby teeth. We anxiously await their arrival. We document the milestone of when our babies get their "first tooth." We dread the sleepless nights, the drooling, the biting (especially if still nursing). We hate to see our babies in pain. We marvel at that little pearly white as it pokes through the gum.

But what happens when one of those cherished baby teeth gets knocked right out of your precious toddler's mouth? Well, that's exactly what happened to Owen, NHV's good buddy and son of my friend Tammy.

It happened when O was about 21 months old. He was running on the sidewalk in front of Safeco Field when he tripped and fell on his face. Now, O has been walking since he was 10 months old, so he's had plenty of practice bracing his falls. This time, however, he was not so successful. When he came up for air, his face was cut, his lips all bloody, and little white bits of teeth were floating around in his mouth.

Needless to say, we peeled out so fast our stroller left dust clouds in our wake! We set up an emergency visit with Owen's pediatric dentist, who, bless her heart, had to come in on a beautiful Saturday morning when she was just getting ready to spend the day at the park with her husband. After a lot of screaming and prying, we were able to take an x-ray of O's mouth. Both front teeth were badly chipped. The one on the left had chipped in half horizontally, in a crescent shape. The one on the right was not so lucky. Not only did it have a huge triangle chunk cut out of it, but it had a vertical fracture into the root.

Diagnosis? Extraction of the doomed tooth.

There was no other choice. I wanted to cry. What does this mean?? O will have one, albeit compromised, front tooth until his permanent ones come in. For the next 8 or 9 YEARS, he'll be known as the kid with one tooth! "Isn't there anything you can do?", I asked the dentist. "Baby dentures? Implants?" Unfortunately, no. They don't want to disturb or disrupt the growth of the permanent tooth. On top of that, Owen had to be sedated for the extraction process, unless we want him to be traumatized for the rest of his life, not to mention the fact that it'd probably take 2-3 large adults to hold him down for the removal if we choose to forgo the anesthesia ...

Click here to read the details of O's surgery.

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As you saw in the photo above, ultimately, the decision was made to extract one of Owen's front teeth ... and clearly, having one less tooth hasn't slowed him down or made him any less adorable! But what a tough experience for parents to go through and clearly this is an accident that could happen to any toddler at any time! And any teenager, as my mom can attest to ... my 17 year old brother got his braces off and had his front tooth knocked out - playing tackle football without pads or a helmet - all within the same month! Talk about an expensive set of chompers!

As kiddos get older, this becomes an even more serious injury. According to kidshealth.org, A dislodged baby tooth can't be replaced and does not need to be put back in. On the other hand, a permanent tooth, which is more sharply defined than a baby tooth, can often be saved if prompt action is taken and the tooth is handled carefully. A permanent tooth has the best chance of survival if replaced within 30 minutes.

In this case, prevention is a tough one. With toddlers the advice is to make sure the child is supervised ... which is a no-brainer. But an exuberant runner and unbraced falls, well, those things just happen - whether you're watching or not! For older kids, it's extremely important that proper protection is worn while playing sports.

Read more about Tooth Injuries here.

Click here for a Knocked-out Tooth Instruction Sheet.

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Disclaimer: Clearly the Accidents Happen series is meant to be informative but also from a mother's point-of-view. The information provided in these posts are medically accurate - to the best of our knowledge - but we are not licensed physicians. We are mothers sharing an experience.

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You may also want to read my other Accidents Happen posts:
Nursemaid's Elbow
Object in Nose

Spek-tacular

2009-09-27T17:51:00.000-07:00

There once was a mom of a sweet little tot
Many a kid's music CD she has bought
When from across the sea
New tunes just for me
A love for Sing-Alongs I've certainly caught

I'm writing silly limericks. I am craving a big bowl of Lucky Charms! (And I don't think it's just some weird pregnancy craving!) I've met a troop of ~~leprechauns~~ Irishmen, and they are quite talented. I've danced a jig. I've laughed with my lassy. I've even spotted a rainbow or two ... and that pot of gold comes in the form of some really great kid-friendly music ... and this discovery wasn't made at my local library (as are most of my music-finds).

No, this CD found me from all the way across the sea - an island off Ireland to be more exact. I received a delightful email from a guy named Quince. He likened his music to "Riverdance for toddlers" and said his bandmates would be "like cows jumping over the moon with delight," if I would accept a copy of their debut CD! How could I possibly refuse an offer like that?

Sing-Along Songs from Glasses Island by the Speks

The CD is a collection of traditional songs - mainly nursery rhymes - with musical arrangement that is really unique and delightful. I am mesmerized, and a bit enamored, by the instrumentation - fiddle, banjo, flutes, and others I am sure I can't even name. The familiarity of the songs makes singing along, well, easy and fun for adults and kiddos. But it's the Irish flair that gets my toes tapping and my face smiling ... and occasionally a leprechaun accent used :) We've listened to these songs in the car and during dinner-making hour, a tough time of day for toddlers ... but I've found this music puts us both in a good mood!

the Speks - Online at http://www.thespeks.com/index.html

The band's website is very, very well-done ... and I am kind of hard to please in that department. The design is clean and simple. The content is high-quality. That's about the best combination I can hope for in a website! Obviously, there's a link to listen to their songs - for free - called Our Jukebox. But what I am most impressed by is the Teaching Notes section. Talk about an unexpected little pot of gold at the end of an already wonderful rainbow! Each song is linked to an explanation of the arrangement, activity suggestions, and the lyrics. And as I told Quince, "As a mommy and a teacher, I certainly appreciate entertainment that is also educational."

Hey, Hey Did Someone Say Giveaway?

The Speks were so generous and sent me two copies of their debut album - one for me and one for Natalie ... however, this seems like the perfect opportunity to give my toddler some practice with the concept of sharing, I've decided to ~~SHARE~~ GIVE her copy to one of you!

Here's your first of many chances to win, win, win ... ~~Natalie's~~ your very own copy of ...

Sing-Along Songs from Glasses Island by the Speks

Giveaway - 1st Chance: Go visit their website - http://www.thespeks.com/ - and get to know these guys a little better: watch a video, listen to a few songs, or read a few of the Teaching Notes. Come back here and leave a FIRST IMPRESSION COMMENT.

All of the other CHANCES (5 in all) ask you a simple - Irish-related - question.
Click to go to the other posts.

Giveaway - 2nd Chance

Giveaway - 3rd Chance
Giveaway - 4th Chance
Giveaway - 5th Chance

Giveaway ends Sunday, October 4th at midnight PST. If you leave a comment, please make sure I have a way of contacting you.

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Start with a limerick, end with a proverb, that's what I always say ...

“Your feet will bring you to where your heart is.”

Reasons to Count

2009-09-24T15:47:00.001-07:00

I am constantly looking for excuses to have my toddler COUNT. Let's see if I can think of 10 things we count on an-almost-daily basis:

Animals, objects, etc. in the pages of a book

Steps as we are walking up/down

Bath toys as we are putting them away

Crackers on her tray at snacktime

Fingers and Toes, Eyes and Nose

Pieces of mail as I pull it from the box

Dolls we can take with us on an outing (I set a number, otherwise we'd have a whole car full!)

Blocks/cups we can stack before it tumbles

Cabinets (or knobs) in the kitchen while I am trying to cook

And most recently, Hide-n-Seek:

Okay, I admit it. This entire post was just an excuse to share a cute video :)

Accidents Happen: Allergic Reaction

2009-09-22T22:41:00.000-07:00

It's hard to imagine that something you feed your child - or something that your child finds in your house and ingests - could cause a very serious, life-threatening reaction. But that's exactly what can and does happen. In this situation, it is imperative that you act quickly.

This post focuses on peanuts as an allergen, and with good reason, "Peanuts are among the most common allergy-causing foods. It's likely that more Americans are allergic to peanuts than any other food." Insect bites, other foods, and certain medications can also trigger anaphylaxis.

The following post was written by Terri, a very good friend of mine here in the NW. Recently, her little guy Gavin had a scary allergic reaction. My heart aches a little as I read her experience. I am so glad that G is okay! The insight that Terri provides is so honest and her tips could be quite possibly life-saving.

We found out the hard way about Gavin's peanut allergy. We had talked about having him try peanuts before we went on a European cruise, thinking that if he was allergic, we'd rather find out when we were 8 minutes from the ER, as opposed to 800 miles. He was 19 months old, so we figured getting close to the age he'd be ok. Neither of us have any food allergies in the family, so we were not expecting him to have one. We hadn't planned it, but Brian and I were eating peanut butter toast one day, and Gavin wanted to try it. He reached out for it, and took a bite. I didn't think much of it, until his face started getting a red rash. I panicked a little when it started going down his neck, and had Brian get the Benadryl. Gavin took some, and then he seemed fine. We decided to go to the park. At the park, Gavin started coughing (like he had something stuck in his throat) and a drink of water wouldn't help. His nose started running, and I knew a cold couldn't come on that fast. We went home, and tried to put him down for a nap, but he was very irritable. After a while of crying and labored breathing, I had Brian call the doctor, and when he was on the phone, I turned on the light to look at Gavin. Sure enough, his face was swelling, and he had hives all over. We asked the doctor (still on the phone) what to do.

Was he wheezing? Kind of... definitely breathing heavy.
Was he swelling? Yes.
How far away is the ER? less than 10 minutes.
Okay, take him there now.

We hopped in the car and drove off. On the way there, I sat in back with my baby while he continued to swell, had even more shallow breathing, runny nose, and he started drooling. He was staring off into space. To say I was scared is the understatement of the year. I wanted to scream at my husband to drive faster! I wanted to grab my baby and cradle him in my arms! I watched helplessly begging God to let us get there in time, and to keep my baby safe. I tried to hold back the tears so I wouldn't scare him, but I have never been so scared in my entire life. My whole being was afraid of losing this precious little baby.

We made it to the ER, raced in, and they got him an epinephrine shot and loaded him up with Benadryl right away. Eventually the swelling stopped and started to get better, and he finally slept. Once the doctor said he'd be okay, and began asking questions, I lost it. I couldn't move and just clutched my little boy that we could have lost. He had a full anaphylactic reaction but - thanks to treatment - would be okay. We were transferred to the hospital downtown for 24 hour observation, and he got better through the hours. It was a day I will never forget, and that has changed our life forever. I learned so many things, a few of which I'd like to pass on to every mom:

ALWAYS CALL 911 if you think there is an allergic reaction. We were told time and time again that we should have just called 911. It could mean life or death for your child. Even if you already have an epi pen, use it, then ALWAYS call 911 if there is a reaction.
Kids can have a food allergy even if no one in your family has one. If you have OTHER allergies (hayfever, eczema) that can make a child more prone.
Keep Childrens' Benedryl on hand even if you never use it. The doctors think that us giving it to him right away could have saved him from going into Anaphylactic Shock. (Always check with your pediatrician before you give any meds).
Potential signs of an allergic reaction: Hives, Itchy or Runny Nose, Swelling (lips, eyes, face is serious), Coughing (meaning they are having trouble breathing), Red Eyes -- typically a child won't be able to go to sleep with all this going on, according to the ER doc which is also a sign.
Allergies to peanuts (and other items) can vary in sensitivity (meaning amount of exposure needed to cause a reaction) and severity (what happens when a reaction occurs). Anaphylactic reactions mean that it starts to affect their breathing, Anaphylactic Shock means it also affects their circulatory/nervous system and is even more serious.
Over 1% of US kids have allergies to Peanuts. There are many theories as to why, which range from an increased amount of peanut products in our diets (US eats over 8 billion lbs of peanuts a year!), to how they are prepared here in the US, to us not exposing our kids to enough bacteria to build up their defenses.
Peanuts hide in all kinds of food. Specifically many types of Chinese foods, cookies, ice creams, candy (including plain M&M's), sauces, and more. READ LABELS. It becomes a habit. Remember if you have a peanut allergic child over - and you make PB&J for your kids, and dip a knife in peanut butter before the jelly - don't give them jelly from that same jar!
Always consult your pediatrician if you have any concerns or questions about any allergy or allergic reaction. Allergies to any foods can be very serious.
Be sensitive to others that have an allergic child. Understand that it can be extremely serious, and what should be done if a child you know has an allergic reaction when you are with them (using an epi pen is EASY!). Mom's with allergic kids will be so appreciative of your sensitivity, understanding, and knowledge, and feel more comfortable letting their kids come to play. All these kids want is to fit in, feel happy, and be safe!

Printable Allergic Reaction Instructions ... from KidsHealth.org

Disclaimer: Clearly the Accidents Happen series is meant to be informative but also from a mother's point-of-view. The information provided in these posts are medically accurate - to the best of our knowledge - but we are not licensed physicians. We are mothers sharing an experience.

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You may also want to read my other Accidents Happen posts:

Question(s) of the Day

2009-09-21T22:33:00.001-07:00

Allow me to pose a few toddler-related QUESTIONS for you to ponder. If you have some insight, please leave a comment ... start a dialogue ... let's build up our arsenal of ANSWERS.

1. How do you clean up your toddler after a meal?

I've tried using baby wipes but that just seemed wasteful. Mostly, I've been using infant wash clothes - a new one each day - that I wet with warm water and a little soap, wipe face and then hands, rinse it and hang it to dry by the sink. But I wonder if that's really "clean."

2. How many pairs of shoes does your toddler have at any one time (seasonally)?

This summer NHV had three pair: white sandals to wear with dresses, bright pink Crocs meant as pool shoes but she wore them all the time, and sneakers. I am gearing up for fall and wondering how many pairs of shoes she'll need. Perhaps this is more of a girl thing than a boy thing? I am seeing so many cute options ... sneakers, Mary Janes, boots, ... but I want to be rational because they outgrow those darn things so quickly!

Nothing too deep ... just looking for insight and input ... let me know your thoughts :)
If you have a question you'd like featured on a future Question of the Day post, please email me.
Also, I will have a great Accidents Happen post for you on Wednesday - just need another day to finalize it :)

Toddler TV Time

2009-09-20T23:34:00.000-07:00

inspired by All About MEme Monday @ MommyBrain

Allowing young children to watch television is a bit of a controversial subject, and there's been all kinds of research done to provide evidence of the TV's impact on toddler learning, social growth, and attention spans.

Some parents firmly believe that no television should be "consumed," while others leave the TV on morning-noon-and-night. Still others fall somewhere in between ... I fall "somewhere in between" but I also have the perspective that what my toddler watches should be valuable - as much as possible. It's not just about quantity; it's more so about quality.

I will also honestly tell you that sometimes a 20-minute DVD saves my sanity, and I could care less if she's learned something while watching it. How's that for a reality check? :)

Here are some of the toddler media I consider to be quality:

Eebee's Adventures - one of the first shows NHV ever watched when she was about 9 months old. It features real babies/toddlers engaged in hands-on learning with things like balls and ramps, containers and scoops, and everyday objects. The philosophy behind this program is that learning is taking place every day and every waking moment. It reminds parents to capitalize on the "little things" that teach big ideas. The parent section of their website is one of the best I've seen.
Super Why - there's a real-life problem that mirrors a storybook problem; the literacy components include displaying story text at the bottom of the screen, choosing a word from a list, looking for super letters, using context clues, and spelling. There's also a website for parents (and teachers) with additional literacy activities.
Sid the Science Kid - this show is to science and thinking skills as Super Why is to literacy; a new science concept is first introduced in the home, and then carried to school; I most appreciate the questioning skills that are modeled. There's also a website for parents (and teachers) with activities to expand the episode's focus.

A few other thoughts on this topic - articles I found and read online:

What TV programs does your toddler watch/love/learn from?

Fingerpaint - More than just Messy

2009-09-18T07:35:00.000-07:00

Fingerpainting with a toddler certainly isn't a new or radical idea. Yes, it's messy, which may be a little stressful for some adults. But the benefits to toddlers are numerous and important.

Fingerpainting allows toddlers to

experiment with textures
express their own creativity emotional
experience sensory details, particularly visual and tactile
learn about colors before and after mixing
doodle shapes in the paint
make prints with hands, feet, elbows, ... appropriate body parts

To make the experience more enjoyable - and less messy - for you, try these suggestions:

Paint outside; you don't even need a table. Just spread newspaper on the sidewalk, pour some paint on a paper plate, and you're ready to go!

Use the highchair. It's a great alternative and keeps the kiddo contained.

Cover up or paint in the buff. There's nothing fun about adding to your laundry piles, so throw on a smock (I hear Ikea has them really cheap.) or one of daddy's t-shirts (My husband still has shirts from college; they are expendable as far as I am concerned!). Warm weather painting can be done in just a diaper - I am referring to your toddler here, not you :)

And remember, fingerpaint is washable, so don't get too bent out of shape about the (potential) mess. Have fun!

Oh, apparently you can Make-Your-Own Finger Paint (imagine that!)... with all the cornstarch you have left over from making Moon Sand :)

Finger Paint Recipe
4 cups cold water
1 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon tempera paint or food coloring
Mix water and cornstarch; cook over medium heat until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add paint or food coloring, or divide the mixture into three parts and add three different colors.

Smithsonian Free Museum Day

2009-09-17T00:03:00.000-07:00

Looking for a fun - perhaps different - way to spend a Saturday afternoon with your toddler?

Oh, and did you catch the fact that I said, FREE?

I love, love, love FREE toddler-friendly entertainment, especially when it's something that grown-ups enjoy, too!

Smithsonian Magazine is sponsoring a nationwide Museum Day, which allows you to enjoy free general admission to hundreds of museums and cultural venues on Saturday, September 26, 2009.

Click Here for more details.

Click Here to find a venue near you.

Click Here to download the required Admission Card.

It will be a tough decision for us here in the NW. Here is just a partial list of participating museums in the area:

Bellevue Arts Museum - Oh, an art museum near a Jimmy John's location ...
Experience Music Project - This is my personal 1st choice.
KidsQuest Children's Museum - We already have a membership.
Log House Museum - This one made me chuckle ... and think of my dad.
Seattle Art Museum - What's not to love about an art museum?
The Museum of Flight - Guessing this will be CPV's top choice.

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Will you be enjoying a FREE trip to a museum on the 26th? If so, let me know which museum!

We have a winner ...

2009-09-16T22:04:00.000-07:00

... or two.

Just found out that Kevin Skynner, the chicken catcher, won this season of America's Got Talent - a show I've been following (and crying through) all season.

And, more importantly, a dear friend and loyal commenter, Deann, won the What the Heck? Giveaway here at ToddlerBrain!

Other than winning, I don't think these two have anything in common ... well, Deann does make a delicious chicken and noodle soup :) She also happens to be an awesome mom, a supportive friend, and a talented photographer. Check out her blog here and her photography site here.

Anyway, here's the screen shot evidence of the ~~judges'~~ random.org decision.

Just in time for baby number 2 - brushing up on all that newborn stuff while continuing to navigate the toddler waters - Deann has won a year's subscription to Parents magazine.

Thank you to my awesome commenters who racked up a totaly of 50 comments in about a week. I truly appreciate the support as I enjoy the outlet of writing and figure out where this blog thing is taking me :)

Today's Toddler Lunch

2009-09-16T12:32:00.000-07:00

Been awhile since I did this ... and I always get ideas from your comments.

Today's lunch was an interesting combination.

Aside from the veggies, it was well received :)

Eating Right Kids - Whole Wheat Pasta Rings in tomato and cheese sauce

(a healthier version of Spaghetti-Os from our childhood)

Cottage Cheese, Green Beans, & Apple Slices

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Your turn. Give me some ideas to expand my toddler's lunch repertoire.

What did your little ones eat for lunch today?

Moon Sand

2009-09-16T00:02:00.000-07:00

This stuff is C-double O-L!

My toddler and I ventured to the local kid's museum today. Last week was Super Clean Week. This morning was an hour for members only. It was delightful.

Even more delightful, the new exhibits that were recently added - a giant Light Bright and a Moon Sand table. As soon as I saw it, I just had to put my hands in the Moon Sand. It looks like really soft beach sand, but it's different. It's pliable and moldable and not nearly as messy as regular sand. Clearly, NHV and the other kiddos loved it! And so I added "research Moon Sand" to the top of my To Do List, and here I am ... sharing what I've learned with you.

Here's the product summary from the manufacturer:

Moon Sand let's anyone bring home the beach and in colors too. This revolutionary new material feels and acts like wet sand and molds to any shape you can imagine. Squish it, shape it, mold it, Moon Sand never dries out and can be used over and over again for never ending fun. It's even water and liquid repellent. Bake your creation in a low oven and it becomes rock hard, even suitable for carving. Bake it again and it crumples back into its original shape to be used over again and still won't dry out. Clean up easily and won't stick or stain. Sand expands to twice its size out of the package.

I found this information on Amazon along with a 5lb bucket for under $10 + shipping. Looks like it's also available at Target, which would save you the shipping.

And leave it to all those clever bloggers out there. I also found a recipe for homemade Moon Sand. I can't recommend it - one way or another - because I haven't tried it YET, but I will ... and I'll let you know.

RECIPE FOR HOMEMADE MOON SAND

This makes 1 "batch" - probably enough to get your kiddo started and figure out if you like it or not. I will probably get all the supplies and then host a playdate where everyone makes some Moon Sand to take home with them. (resource)

6 cups of play sand (I think you can get a big bag for like $5.)
3 cups of cornstarch
1 1/2 cups of cold water

Mix the water and cornstarch together thoroughly, this will take a few minutes to get it nice and smooth.

Gradually mix in the sand, one cup at a time. You'll need to really work it in with your fingers.

Play with it!

When you're all done, pop it in an airtight container.

When you next play with it, you'll need to revive it with 2-3 tablespoons of water. Just sprinkle it over and work it in.

If you want the Moon Sand to be colored, add a few drops of food coloring

Accidents Happen: Object in Nose

2009-09-15T00:13:00.000-07:00

At some point before they start picking their nose incessantly (don't get me started about boogers!), toddlers have been known to give nasal "input" a try. I'll admit it, even I have a personal (and I do mean, personal) story of nasal ingestion, but first read Chitown Momma's story of her toddler B and the wheel that almost got away!

Causes: Curious toddler given a toy to have in his crib during nap, apparently wants to see if the wheel from his Matchbox tank will fit in the facial crevice (otherwise known as the nose!) Now, this toy has been played with countless times, so this unsuspecting momma never gave it a thought. Fast forward through a delightful three hour nap…

Symptoms: Come in when I hear him fussing over the monitor, he says “Nose.” (my little guy is a man of few words, literally!) He typically has me wipe his nose, so no red flags just yet. He then says, “Dirt” while pointing to his nose…hmmm. Finally says, “Tickle,” in a not so much haha voice but rather a little pathetic, painful whimper (note to self: work on the meaning of tickle.) So I touch the outside of his nose and sure enough I can feel something hard up there.

My Response: Call pediatrician’s office, which of course it is right at closing time, and leave a message on the medical advice mailbox. Then call my husband. At this point I still didn’t know what it was. He tells me to get a flashlight and look up there (so smart!) I then see that it is green, army green, and make the connection. Find the tank in his crib and sure enough two of the wheels are missing. (I later broke off a third one just to see, and it required quite a bit of force). Hubby suggests trying to take it out with tweezers. I wasn’t so keen on the idea, but knew I needed to do something. However, holding down a toddler by yourself and working with tweezers is next to impossible. Luckily the dr.’s office called back.

Recommended medical treatment: Pinch the unobstructed nostril shut. Place your mouth over your child’s mouth forming a seal (envision administering mouth-to-mouth). Blow forcefully into your child’s mouth. It totally works. The object does not come flying out but it definitely gets pushed down to where you can get it without tweezers! However, this method does require 2 adults, as the little one does not enjoy this experience! This method only produced one of the two wheels, so we can only assume that the other was swallowed or had previously been broken off and I didn’t know. I had intentions of monitoring diapers to find it, but silly me served peas that night for dinner. I felt the danger had passed and did not feel the need to determine if each little green morsel was a pea or the MIA wheel!

Note: Prior to getting the phone call from the office, I emailed my Ped (love that she offers this!). She emailed me back saying to bring him in at 9 the next day. Now I don’t think I could have put B to bed knowing there was a wheel in his nose, but clearly the doc didn’t think it was an emergency. When I emailed her to say we got the one out we could see, but the other was MIA, she said there was no need to come in at all. Enough time had passed that there was no danger of choking.

Other likely culprits, according to BabyCenter:

Candies: Brightly colored and just the right size; need I say more? Jelly beans, M&M's, Nerds, Skittles,

Food: Because of easy access (hello, toddlers have to eat) probably the most common thing that a toddler will stick up his nose. Spaghetti noodles, French fries, beans, peas, Cheerios, ...

Small Toys: Guessing this is part of the reason there's a toy category known as three and older. Legos, crayons or pencils, marbles, small action figure or doll accessories, ... are you saying, "Ouch," right about now?

Household Items: So many small things around the house, so little time! Q-Tips, pet food, batteries, caps to bottles, beads, paperclips, ...

Mattress/Pillow stuffing: Small pieces of foam, fabric, batting can either come loose or be torn loose and then "stuffed" into the nose. I apparently did this when I was about two years old - without my parents realizing it. My mom claims that I had the worst breath she had ever smelled (nice, huh?) and my nose began running constantly with a bright green colored snot. At the doctor's office, it was found that the foam inside my nasal passage was rotting and causing an infection ... thus the bad breath and disgusting snot!

Other Symptoms: If a strange object has made its way into your toddler's nose, you may notice that just one nostril is runny, and the discharge could be stinky. (If the runny nose is due to a cold, both sides will probably be runny.) Your child may complain of a tickle, pain or discomfort, or he may get a nosebleed.

On a More Serious Note: A lodged object can cause infection and long-term damage. Some objects cause a bigger problem the longer you wait. (A bean can swell and become more difficult to remove, for example, and a small button battery can cause serious tissue damage.)

A final thought: Yes, my mommy (and daddy) friends, Accidents Happen, and sometimes odd objects find their way into tiny orifices (I've been itching to use that word!). All we can do is ensure toys are appropriate for our toddler and supervise him/her closely. When all else fails, it's important to rely on knowledge of symptoms and how to respond.

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You may also want to read my other Accidents Happen posts:

Nursemaid's Elbow

Toy Organization, Part 2

2009-09-14T00:05:00.000-07:00

I usually feature new music on Mondays, while this post isn't about songs, I am hoping it's music to your ears ... and eyes.

About a month ago, I featured a guest blogger, my friend at Rocky Mountain Baby. She's got a great toy organization system that is working for her. Now I am sharing my system - or at least part of my system - with you. You should know that I am a freak when it comes to organization. If it can be color-coded or labeled, I am just that much happier :)

I am extremely fortunate to have a seriously handy/talented husband. He built the majority of my storage downstairs - in the family room and living room. In addition to tons of shelf space for storing books and a few toys, I have four big bins - stashed away on shelves - in each room. I don't know what I would do without all my delightful bins. Those bins save my sanity on a daily basis.

Here's the family room built-in. Lots of shelves up high for photos and my books and what-not, and everything in my toddler's reach is meant for her to play with ... how ideal is that?

View of the built-ins and baskets.

The contents of the bins in the family room.

The small animals make their way into most of our dance parties. The musical instruments (mostly homemade) serve as great accompaniment, too. The blocks and cars, if I am being honest, don't get much love from NHV, but many of her buddies like to play with them. Oh, and of course, I've designated one bin that's really for me ... diaper changing essentials.

The blank-and-white woven baskets came from Walmart Online. The top has a hard wire frame, but the rest is totally pliable. I looked to find a link for them, but I can't find them again. I was lucky to find them because I needed this exact size to fit the built-ins.

In the living room, there are more custom shelves ... but I bought the big, deep chocolate brown canvas bins before my husband started building. That saved me a major headache later. I think the bins came from Bed, Bath, and Beyond.

All four are located at the very bottom - perfect for toddler scavenging. And just above them is a deep shelf for books, toys, and other goodies.

Bin 1: Pretending - Natalie's favorite! Hats, scarves, little bags, cell phones, bracelets, tutus, ... all the things a little girl needs to accessorize!
Bin 2: Stacking - cups, DiscoveryWorks pegboard and pegs (stored in Ikea bricks), super cool Wedgits, and plastic links (stored in hospital water bottles).
Bin 3: Learning - puzzles, puzzles, and more puzzles (again, pieces stored in Ikea bricks)
Bin 4: Cuddling - baby dolls, blankets, bottles, onesies, ... all the things a little girl needs to take care of her babies!

I have a different system upstairs and another one for crafts and such. I'll share those with you another time. If you have a toy organization system that you'd like to share, let me know ... I would love to have a few guest bloggers share what works for them :)

Score 2 for the Potty Team

2009-09-11T21:20:00.000-07:00

Yes, that's right! Natalie did it again. And this time - more noteworthy - it was not only her second success, but it also was a number 2! Sorry if that's TMI, but really if you're reading a blog about toddlers, you should probably expect this type of news. (Click here to read about today's earlier potty breakthrough.)

Anyway, there was much fanfare and "poo-poo in the potty" dancing. After a glance in the potty - by all three of us, it's safe to say that the results were, in daddy's words, "substantial."

As for the photographic documentation, I did NOT go there ... and I won't. But I am beaming with pride and feeling like we are in the right place at the right time with potty training ... only tomorrow (and the next day and the next day) will tell :)

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Also, be sure to enter my "What the Heck?" Giveaway.
Just comment on ANY post and you're entered to win :)

Guess Who ...

2009-09-11T10:13:00.000-07:00

... Just Made Pee-Pees on the Potty!

And here she is eating a celebratory breakfast of Pirate's Booty while watching a little Curious George ... because that's what she wanted ... and in all the excitement, I was willing to give her anything she wanted! I couldn't get her to sit on the potty long enough to grab the camera, so this is her post-pee-pee photo :)

I know we are a loooong way from being potty trained, but this is a breakthrough! Just when I thought I can't possible sit on this stool and read another book ... she did it! She knows what it feels like now! Step in the right direction for sure!

Most recently, I've been reading the No-Cry Potty Training Solution. Based on the readiness quiz, NHV is ready for this endeavor, which is giving me the confidence to forge ahead. I have a renewed interest in teaching my toddler this important life skill ... let's just hope it lasts through the many setbacks ahead :)

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Also, be sure to enter my "What the Heck?" Giveaway.

Just comment on ANY post and you're entered to win :)

Smooth(ie) Operator

2009-09-11T01:08:00.000-07:00

Are you ready for your weekly dose of Food & Fun here at ToddlerBrain? What's more fun than a bunch of fruit smoothie recipes? And they're food-like, too, right?

Not to jinx myself, but I am making some progress with getting my toddler to eat veggies. However, I continue to count on smoothies as a sure-fire way to increase her daily fruit intake. If I am being completely honest, my fruit intake and my tastebuds are thanking me, too :)

Berr-i-licious Smoothie
1 banana
1 handful of raspberries
1 handful of blueberries
1 cup milk
1 cup yogurt (your favorite flavor)

Add the banana, raspberries, blueberries, milk and yogurt to the blender. Blend well. Enjoy.

http://www.easy-kids-recipes.com/healthy-smoothie-recipes.html

Apple Smoothie Recipe
1 apple, cored and sliced
1 cup apple juice
1 carton apple yogurt or other flavor
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup ice cubes
Mix ingredients together in a blender and blend until smooth.

Strawberry Banana Smoothie
1 cup frozen strawberries
2 cups orange juice
1 banana, cut in pieces
½ cup milk
2 tablespoons sugar
Add ingredients together in blender and blend until smooth.

Blueberry Fruit Smoothie
Carton of Blueberry yogurt
1 Cup of milk
1 Cup frozen or fresh blueberries, strawberries or peaches
½ cup ice cubes
Add all together in blender and blend until smooth.

http://www.kids-cooking-activities.com/simple-smoothie-recipes.html

Feeling adventuresome? Feeling autumnal? Feeling a little Jack .. O'Lantern?
Give this one a try ... I double-dog dare you ... and be sure to tell me how you and your toddler liked it :)

Pumpkin Smoothie
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
3/4 cup milk or vanilla yogurt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
2 tsp. brown sugar
4 ice cubes

Combine ingredients in blender and puree until smooth.

http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/family/recipe/famf0900pumsmooth/

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Random Bit of F-U-N: A quick Google search for the title of my post, produced this delightful result ... a game that allows you to make (and name) virtual smoothies. More fun than you can shake a stick at, I tell ya!

Planet Science: Smoothie Operator

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Also, be sure to enter my "What the Heck?" Giveaway. Just comment on ANY post and you're entered to win :)

This Book is a Hoot!

2009-09-10T16:18:00.000-07:00

Author: Amy Krouse Rosenthal
Illustrator: Jen Corace

My toddler has been on a bit of an owl kick for the past few months. Okay, that's an understatement; we've been whoo-who-ing all over the place. Good thing her auntie Heather bought Little Hoot for her during a recent visit to the NW.

This story not only feeds Natalie's owl obsession but it's also quite delightful ... which, really, is no surprise considering the author whoo-who has written several other wonderful clever and creative children's books. She has entire "little" series that show parent-kid role reversal in regards to things like eating vegetables, getting a good night's rest, and cleaning up messes. For the slightly older crowd, I imagine these stories inspire much silliness and giggles. That bigger message goes over my toddler's head - right now - but it certainly isn't lost on me ... plenty of giggles from this momma!

So Little Hoot is the story of a young owl (hopefully you got that already) who wants to go to bed but his parents insist that he stay up late; apparently, that's the only way to "grow up to be a wise owl." He keeps asking to go to bed to which his parents reply that he must stay up and play for another hour. Are you seeing the role reversal here? Hee, hee! There's even a two-page spread featuring 10 minutes of action, a great exercise in counting.

My favorite lines:

The first line of the books is, "Once, up on a branch, there was a fellow named Little Hoot."
In response to Little Hoot's complaints about staying up late, Father owl says, "And besides, I don't give a hoot what time your friends go to bed. In this family, we go to bed late. Rules of the roost."

Also, be sure to enter my "What the Heck?" Giveaway.

What the Heck? Giveaway

2009-09-09T22:46:00.000-07:00

How cool is today's date? 9-9-09

I love things like that!

And what better reason for a giveaway?
I mean, really, do I need a better reason?

Any comment between today (9-9-09) and next Wednesday (9-16-09)
will earn you an entry into my little "what-the-heck" giveaway.

I know what you're dying to know ...
What do I win? What's in it for me?

Great question ...
the satisfaction of winning, perhaps?

No, just kidding! Actually, I am giving away a ...

Year Subscription to Parents magazine!

And it's costing me next to nothing, btw - which is a good thing ...
'cause this job only pays in love (and comments)!
But remember it's the thought that counts and all that jazz :)

In addition to new posts, this is a great time to dig into
my archives (and those fabulous links way up there) ...
you know, just in case you've missed anything insightful and delightful :)

To clarify ... you can comment anywhere - on ToddlerBrain - anytime -

all new comments are tracked right to my inbox so I won't miss any entries.

(Bring it on, Chitown Momma!)

Also, it would be super fabulous if you would tell all your friends about ToddlerBrain,

but it's not required for participation in the official "what-the-heck" giveaway ;)

ProjectAlphabet

2009-09-09T00:14:00.000-07:00

A couple of quick questions for you ...

Do you like FREE?
Do you like an online tool that promotes literacy?
Do you like an online tool that's EASY even for the not-so-tech-savvy?
Most importantly, do you like FREE?

I think I've found something for you ...

to get excited about ...

get creative and give it a try ...

http://www.projectalphabet.com/

Did I mention that it's FREE? As in, no catch; it's FREE.

Here's how it works:

Upload the photos you want to use (file size must be less than 2 MB)
Select from the various templates - there are only 4 choices: ABC Book, Calendar, Greeting Card, and 123 Book.
Create a cover and fill in the inside pages with images and text.

The text functions are very limited. You can control the color, and that's about it - no font choices, not size choices - all of that is preset. You'll either like that or you won't ... but it will keep you from spending extra time making a "font" decision.
I love that the ABC book template includes both upper case and lower case letters!
Image functions are also limited. Again, I think this is a good thing! You can resize using a scale slider and then reposition the photo in the designated area on the page; that's it - no cropping or editing of any kind.

When your masterpiece is finished, the site will create a PDF file (for FREE) that you can download to your computer to print right away ... or save and take to your local copy shop to have printed for you. It's so easy. It's so free. It has so many possibilities!

There's a whole gallery of examples on the website, but this is my favorite. Aren't the photos clever, especially the mirror?

Teacher Thoughts: This is a fantastic tool for helping toddlers learn letter (or number) recognition. The content can be geared specifically to your child's interests. What toddler doesn't love to see photos of him/herself? You could also gear it toward themes like animals, transportation, food, family, colors, ...

Best of all, you could put together one of these books in a matter of less than an hour - including photo-selection, the most time consuming part of it all. That's my goal - three 20-minute sessions of Curious George, and I'll have a one-of-a-kind ABC book for my toddler ... I think my theme will focus on becoming a big sister :)

Accidents Happen: Nursemaid's Elbow

2009-09-08T00:39:00.000-07:00

Twice in NHV's two years, she's had an injury known as nursemaid's elbow.

CAUSES:

The first time Natalie was about 7 months old, and she actually caused this injury to herself while rolling over in her crib. Click here if you're interested in the full details.

And then, recently, my husband and Natalie were playing like daddies and their little girls do ... a little rougher than I would like. Natalie was behind Chad with her arms stretched up toward his neck. He was crouched down reaching over his shoulder to grab her hands. As he stood up - raising her with him, there was a quick holler of pain from our baby girl. Again, full details here.

Actions that can increase risk of this type of injury, according to KidsHealth.org:

Pulling a child up by the hands. Lifting under the armpits is the safest way to lift a child.
Swinging a toddler by the arms. This seems like lots of fun but it is never a good idea.
Breaking a fall with the arm. The natural response to falling is outstretching an arm for
protection.
Rolling over in an awkward way. Sometimes rolling over in a crib, bed, or on the floor can cause nursemaid's elbow in infants.

SYMPTOMS:

Both times it was very clear that something was wrong with Natalie's arm - she would not use it and was calm unless her arm was moved. Both times I immediately thought it was her shoulder - not her elbow - come to find out, that is a a common mommy misdiagnosis for this injury.

A quick call to our family doctor confirmed that it was probably her elbow. More specifically an injury called nursemaid's elbow, which is a partial dislocation of the elbow. And it sounds much worse than it is ... I say this mainly because visually Natalie's elbow looked totally fine and once we immobilized the arm, she didn't appear to be in any pain.

RESPONSE:

Immobilize the arm. If your toddler will leave the arm pulled across his tummy, that's sufficient. If not, use a bandana to make a quick sling.

Call the pediatrician's office. Chances are he will be able to confirm over the phone that it's nursemaid's elbow. If the accident happens during office hours, it can be reset by your doctor.

Make a trip to the ER. If the accident happens after office hours, you'll need to go to the ER to have the elbow reset. Do not attempt to reset the elbow yourself.

Next week's edition of Accidents Happen ... Strange Object in Nasal Passage with help from Chitown Momma and her boy B ... you won't want to miss this one!

We're Loving Casper Babypants

2009-09-07T00:04:00.000-07:00

And I do mean ... We're! All three of us are enjoying this CD and singing along and shouting, "More. More. 'Gain," in true NHV-style :)

And I do mean ... loving! Like listening to all 22 tracks ... over and over again ... kind of love. While there are some I like better than others, there isn't a single track that I want to skip. Now that's saying something!

Again, I am a total sucker for a cute cover and a clever name ... Caspar Babypants? Check! And check! This disc is loaded with original songs and sprinkled with a few traditional ones, newly arranged - think Three Blind Mice with a rocking twist. I think what I like best is the sing-a-long-ability of these songs. The "hooks" are super catchy. The lyrics are creative but not weird. And the music itself is mostly acoustic guitar and keyboards and not overly complex.

Now, if you're into Indie Rock, you may be familiar with Chris Ballew, lead singer of The Presidents of the United States of America. He's the genius songwriter and voice behind Caspar Babypants. How cool is it that he's a rocker who's also a dad (some songs were written for his daughter) and sharing his talents in the toddler arena?

You really should take a few minutes to check out the Caspar Babypants Website to hear all 22 tracks off the CD.

Here's the track list with a few notes ...
01. small black ant

02. little broken truck - fun, fun sing-a-long

03. brown and lonely worm

04. free like a bird - V Family Favorite

05. baby bear - V Family Favorite

06. three blind mice

07. baby in a corn tree

08. heard a bird

09. babies little self - great song for teaching body parts

10. run away

11. the island hop - a bit of a "hula" feel & so much fun

12. under a rock

13. bug in the cuff

14. shortnin bread - reminds me of my childhood

15. let the s go - so clever; great play with letters of the alphabet

16. billy pringle

17. poor dust bunnies - this one makes me laugh out loud

18. freres jacques

19. bright bug - NHV's personal favorite

20. monkey river

21. calling from clouds

22. sleeping baby

Go jam to some Caspar Babypants and then hurry back here and tell me YOUR favorite :)

Accidents Happen

2009-09-05T00:07:00.001-07:00

If only we could protect our little darlings from all the ills of the world ... and themselves! But, in reality, Accidents Happen ... all the time! Mobility and curiosity and exploration and no sense of fear can lead to some interesting mishaps! But - just as often - an accident can be completely unprovoked and always unexpected. This series of posts will be a chance to remind parents of common toddler safety concerns and the best immediate response.

What to expect ...

Nursemaid's Elbow
Strange object in Nasal Passage
Knocked out Front Tooth
Allergic Reaction
Big Falls & Head Bumps
Choking

I've compiled some research and enlisted the help of some mommy friends to tell their personal stories. While we can't prevent all accidents, we can be prepared to react in the best interest of our toddlers.

Toddler Transitions

2009-09-05T00:00:00.001-07:00

Toddlers go through big changes in a short amount of time. Some of those changes we impose on them with the best of intentions ... for their own good and for a variety of other reasons. This is my attempt at making those transitions go as smoothly and painlessly as possible through research compiling, advice sharing, and personal insighting.

What to expect ...

From Bottle to Sippy Cup
Let's hear it for the Fork
High Chair No More
Breaking the Pacifier Habit
Crib to Big Kid Bed
It's Potty Time!

I am hoping to approach each transition with a big dose of empathy for the many, many changes - new skills learned, old habits broken, emotional growing - that my toddler will experience in the next few years.

ToddlerBrain

Family Tree Craft Ideas

Counting Around the House

Fairies in my Toes

Backyard Counting Adventure

Snack Idea

Summer Activities Challenge: Letter / Number BINGO

You Should Know: Juice Boxes

Feed Me Books Friday: Interview with an Author

Let's Go for a Ride!

Rainbow Rice

Evolution of the Potty Seat

I'm thinking of ...

Feed Me Books Friday: Books About Mamas

RECALL of Kids' Tylenol, Motrin, Zyrtec, Benadryl

Feed Me Books Friday: Books You Can Sing

Birthday Greeting from afar

Toilet Paper Roll Caterpillar

DLTK's Crafts for KidsToilet Paper Roll Caterpillar

Materials

Instructions:

Inspiration

Fun on the Go Box

Night Light Stories

Placemat Lesson 2

Seuss Activity #2 - Ten Apples Up on Top

Dr. Seuss - Activity #1

Read Across America

Everyday Learning: Left and Right

Pinecones, Rocks, and Leaves

Musical Hand Wash Timers

Question of the Day - Naps

Try It: Foam Paint

Return of the Brain

Big News

Hasbro Rebate at Toys R Us

Today's Toddler Breakfast: Mini Frittata

Ingredients:

Preparation:

Idea to Try: Flashlight Pointing

BGB Transition - Major Breakthrough

Easy, Fun, Craft: Apple Turkeys

BGB Transition - The Saga Continues

The Big Girl Bed Transition

Foliage Friends

Idea to Try: Toddler Tasks

Halloween Costumes for Little Ones

Footprint Ghosties

Accidents Happen: Fall & Head Injury

Spek-tacular Offer

Caspar Babypants ... In Concert & Camera

Accidents Happen: Choking

Blogging Adventure of the eebee Kind

Whooo can resist these adorable owls?

Accidents Happen: Emergency Consent Form

Question of the Day - 2

A Little Luck of the Irish ...

Funny Faces: Learning About Emotions

the Speks Giveaway - Final Chance to Win!

the Speks Giveaway - 4th Chance to Win!

the Speks Giveaway - 3rd Chance to Win!

Letter Recognition - Online - Part 1

the Speks Giveaway - 2nd Chance to Win!

Accidents Happen: Knocked Out Tooth

Spek-tacular

Reasons to Count

Accidents Happen: Allergic Reaction

Question(s) of the Day

Toddler TV Time

Fingerpaint - More than just Messy

Smithsonian Free Museum Day

We have a winner ...

Today's Toddler Lunch

Moon Sand

Accidents Happen: Object in Nose

Toy Organization, Part 2

Score 2 for the Potty Team

Guess Who ...

Smooth(ie) Operator

This Book is a Hoot!

DLTK's Crafts for Kids
Toilet Paper Roll Caterpillar