Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Easy Writer


I try my darndest to incorporate "educational fun" into whatever activities the kids might be doing. It doesn't always work out that way, but I try.

Here's something super-simple that'll keep kids occupied for hours on end while providing an opportunity for learning: chalkboard paint. I'm always surprised by how few people actually use the stuff--it's great! We had a door off our kitchen that was just awful--however, when painted with chalkboard paint (go Home Depot!) and accompanied by some dust-free chalk, it became a veritable magnet for the kids and our kitchen was transformed into "Schoolhouse Rock" (in a good way).

So now, no matter what I might be doing in the kitchen, I can usually count on my kids playing school or drawing holiday-themed decorations or simply scribbling away. It's also been great to help teach our kids Dutch, Spanish and some French--and we sometimes play "what's that sign?" to practice ASL. All in all, you can't beat it. If you can find even a 3' x 4' area or so, that's all it takes. And in close to 5 years, I've only touched the paint up once. Oh, and the chalk wipes off easily with a damp cloth.

Decorating...here we go again!

Ok, this time it's not about holiday decorating. It's about your kids' rooms--when they get to that certain age and realize they can vocalize their feelings on how they'd like their rooms to look.
My daughter is at that age. Unfortunately for her, we moved into our house just prior to having the twins--so, of course, our focus was on the twins' nursery-to-be. I didn't go all out as I wasn't really sure anyway what to do for a room that would have not one, but two babies. But I did at least paint the room. A nice cheerful shade of blue--not pastel (too traditional baby)...not navy (too "wait-till-they're-7")--but a nice shade none the less. And it looked lovely--at least for the time being until the boys actually came and actually grew and actually became boys who were actually quite rambunctious and actually broke things. But I digress.

The key is, it looked nice. My daughter, being no fool, immediately saw the contrast between the boys' room and her white-walled boudoir. This translated immediately into a cry for a yellow room. I'm pretty quick on my feet so I tried to explain to her that her room was not white, but "a whiter shade of pale" (with a nod to Procol Harum) and that she should appreciate the blissful dichotomy of its subtle yet overbearing nature. Alas she is no fool. She said, "Mom!" (which somehow became a two-syllable word) "it's WHITE! Can't you see?" It was not the first time I had no comeback for her.

Somehow fortune was on my side a mere few weeks after this discussion as I sauntered down an aisle at a "Dollar Store". I was searching for party decorations upon the advice of several other mothers and, as luck would have it, there in front of my eyes was a knock-off version of Wallies! In many design options! My mind started racing. Most options were "country"-style borders (not my taste at all) or the usual seashells, herbs, abc's in pastels...you get the picture. But tucked in the middle of the display was a wonderful set of colorful gerberas and an alphabet set to match! Again, I note, this was in the DOLLAR STORE--so you know how much these self-stick, removable wall decals cost! I snatched them up (almost every last one of them), bought them all (sans any party crap), and raced home.


When my daughter returned home from school I surprised her and she was beside herself with glee. I helped her come up with words or phrases to spell out on her walls--like "reading spot" for where she keeps some of her books or "take a snooze" by her bed (see pics). And we randomly put the gerberas on the walls, too. She loved it.














The best part? I loved it. Simple. Cheap. No need to paint. A lot of happiness for basically zero effort. And if we move or paint or...? They peel right off.



Tuesday, January 1, 2008

Baby Alive Needs a Mommy Alive


So it's been a week of holiday festivities and frivolity and we've had a new addition to our family! For those of you who know me, no, you did not miss my pregnancy and no, we did not adopt another child. Rather, we've become the proud parents of a new...BABY ALIVE! I say "we" because once Santa brings your daughter a Baby Alive (BA), it does indeed take a village.

For those of you who are not familiar with this little tyke, she's reminiscent of that Sassy Susan doll of yore in size and coif. However, BA has eyes right out of some Japanese cartoon or comic--they just seem unnaturally large for what's supposed to be a natural-looking babe. I had to first get over that. Then, to my naivete, I had not kept up on all the BA hype enough to to absorb the fact that she...poops! Yes, she POOPS! Just like the original from the mid-70's. And I now know why my own mother never got me one. We're not talking about those dolls that "drink" water and then (oops!) "pee" it out neatly on the other end. We're talking poop: whatever color you feed her is whatever color (& consistency) you find on the other end.

And here's the "gotcha!" glitch for her real parents with real wallets: HER DIAPERS ARE NOT REUSABLE!!! Now, that is stated on the package--but not in anything larger than say, 12 pt type. So when you have your first trial run (no pun intended) you realize you cannot wash and re-wear. Then you realize Hasbro has only given you TWO diapers to start and BA has just sent one to a landfill. So you're hearing "Mommy! Let's feed her the peas now! Please! PLEASE!" while you're mentally processing the fact that after the peas, BA will have to starve for a while and your daughter will be despondent.

For a fleeting moment, I entertained the thought of making some washable diapers--complete with velcro tabs. I figured I'd already earned my Fed-Ex stripes from having boxes (& boxes!) of diapers shipped to my door for the twins and I was not about to repeat that, even if on a miniature scale. Fortunately for me, my daughter would rather curl up with a book or feed her starving Webkins brood--even if she only gets to do so for 30 minutes at a time. So the "Mom, can we buy Baby Alive more diapers?" whine only lasted for days 1 & 2 of her newly found motherhood. There is a higher power.

And so I feel guilty that BA is not getting enough love.

Not sure if I would've let Santa bless us with this little cherub had I been eyes-wide-open on all her needs. But then I also would not have had the harrowing life-flashing-before-me experience of hearing my daughter say, "Mommy! This means you're a grandmother!!"