The Craft Stick Collage

I'd been hoping that my son's elementary school would do a full-school art project, and this year my dreams came true. The art teachers decided to do a project using craft sticks. Every child would paint a craft stick, and these sticks would then be put together into an art piece and hung. Sounds easy, huh? Well, it wasn't as easy as we thought, but the result looks great. This post is so that other schools/parents can learn from our trial and error!!

Painting the sticks

The art teachers used craft sticks (aka tongue depressors) for this activity.

The teachers cleverly taped the sticks to paper, so that the kids had a personal work surface that prevented the sticks from sliding, prevented mess, and made the sticks easy to dry on the racks. Each child painted their stick using craft swab(s) -- like a one-ended q-tip with a longer wooden handle.

They used acrylic paint -- specifically Chromacryl --  and the

teachers gave them some tips on color theory, pattern, and texture beforehand. (Mixing of 'muddy' colors was discouraged, but inevitable especially in the younger grades.) Words and images were not allowed as subject matter, to make the sticks more uniform and prevent potential content issues.

Planning

Two art teachers and 3 moms gathered to talk about the logistics of assembling the sticks together into a coherent piece of artwork:

• How many sticks would we have?
• Should we try to do one big panel of sticks, or several?
• What should we attach the sticks to ... canvas? wood? foamcore?  The base needed to be strong, but not so heavy that a bunch of moms couldn't handle it. But not so fragile that it could break or bend.
• Should the colors be randomly arranged, or in color families?
• Where could we hang the final artwork?
• How could we protect the sticks from damage?
• How to hang the artwork on the wall?

Math and Mockups

We needed to 'sell' the idea to school administration, and also to plan our approach. So we started work on 2 pieces: a concept panel and a virtual mockup of the final product.

We decided as a group that plywood might be the way to go as our foundation, so one mom got a small piece of it, made some sample sticks with her kids, and created a proof-of-concept panel.

We then took photos of the proposed space - a bland stairwell - and mocked up what it would look like using pixlr.

Here's the math in a nutshell:

• 949 sticks painted by students, plus we wanted to add a few 'label' sticks
• We decided on 4 panels of sticks, so we could divide up the assembly work and also keep the weight of each piece lower
• To get a number divisible by 4, we rounded up to 960 sticks, which mean 240 sticks per panel. (We filled in with some teacher-made sticks to get those last few.)
• 8 sticks made a 6" square, so 960 sticks created 120 squares of 8 sticks each, which could be arranged to fill a 30"x 36" panel. Adding a 1" border to the panels made the final size 32" x 38" 

Panel Purchase and Assembly

This was the most time-consuming part.

The Panels

Plywood comes in 2'x4' and 4'x8' panels, so we had to get the bigger size and get it cut to the sizes we needed.  We used 1/4" thickness plywood to keep down the weight.

[It took a long, long time to get help at Home Depot to cut the plywood panels. Plan HOURS for this. If the math works out, it would be ideal to be able to use one of their 'precut' panels of 2'x4', but that size just didn't work for our space and our concept]

The wood panels looked a little rough, so we sanded the edges and then painted them a blue acrylic color, which would look nice on the cement walls. (TIP: put weights on the panels after painting them to prevent warping.)

The sticks

First, lay out the sticks.


My son and a neighbor's daughter did this for my panel. Their 'job' was to make sure that the colors and patterns were randomly distributed. We didn't want one square of all rainbow sticks and one of all greenish-brown sticks.

Then, it was time to glue the sticks on with wood glue.

This process took several days because it was key to line up the sticks properly and then weight them to prevent warping.






I had great success binder-clipping 2 yard sticks to the panel to use as guides in lining up the first squares.

Then I worked on one 8-stick square at a time.


I put the glue on the board, first, but I know that one of the other moms put the glue on the sticks.

Either way, it was critical to make sure that the sticks were lined up and not overlapping.

Then I used a plastic clipboard and weight to weigh down each square. I used plastic so that if a little glue got on it, it was easy to pry it off.


I let each square dry for at least an hour before going to the next square. We worked from top left to bottom right, like a puzzle.

The varnish

We used Mod Podge to create a varnish-like coat. We really poured it on; the goal was to fill up all those holes between the sticks, so they'd be more secure and dust-resistant.

Hanging the Panels

Each panel, with sticks/glue/mod-podge, ended up weighing about 9 lbs. Being below 10 lbs allowed us to use industrial strength Velcro as a hanging option.

The hanging took longer than we thought.

Originally we thought we could easily do this in an hour, but it took 3 of us over 2 hours to measure the wall, mark the wall, double-check the marks, peel Velcro, and stick the panels.

End Result: A Masterpiece of Sticks

We are super proud of how this turned out! Total cost of supplies to make the panels, not including paint/sticks/brushes (which were part of the school's art budget): about $120

Creating the perfect Halloween Costume for Tracer of Overwatch (Part 2)

Here it is. Our costume inspired by the Overwatch character Tracer for our 7-year old son. It was quite the creative endeavor, greatly aided by duct tape ...

The core elements of the character: the bomber jacket, the power-pack, and the goggles.

For the power-pack, we took the two battery-powered lights I had acquired and put them inside two white Chinese take-out containers. Tracer's pack is blue, so we experimented with coloring the container with a blue Sharpie and also putting some blue paper inside of it.  Then we duct-taped them onto cardboard, with slots in the back to reach in and turn the lights on/off.  I actually re-cut the cardboard after I took these photos, to make the foundation shape an X rather than a diamond, so it was easier to duct-tape onto the straps ...


For the straps, I criss-crossed 2 lunch box straps and hooked them together on the sides, then duct-taped the power-pack onto the straps. By then moving the hooks on the bottom/sides of it, it became somewhat of a vest that we could unhook and take off for riding in the car.

To create the jacket, I used an old, lined, brown Lands' End jacket (or was it L.L. Bean? Who can really tell the difference, anyways) and turned under the hood to make it look like a collar. Then I sewed on the patches we bought from Serephitic. (If I hadn't found those, I had planned to draw/color the patches, seal them in clear Contact paper, then pin them on.)

For the gloves, we used some of my old colorguard gloves from highschool and binder-clipped sheets of foam to make her bracer-cuff thingies.

And ski goggles to finish it off.



The finished Tracer costume was Awesome.

And the really great part was that once it got dark the power pack was a great combo flashlight and keeping-track-of-child device. My son was totally jazzed.

The two things that made him a little shy were that 1) he was dressed as a girl (to which I responded that no one knows who Tracer is, much less her gender) and 2) answering the question "Who are you dressed as?" It was a mouthful for him to say "I'm a videogame hero named Tracer from a game called Overwatch that is in closed Beta right now." So I think some folks thought he was a WWII bomber with a big Ironman light on his chest.

And that was OK, too.

Creating the perfect Halloween Costume for a Superhero who isn't even released yet: Tracer (Part 1)

Blizzard has created a bunch of new compelling characters for their upcoming superhero game, Overwatch. And to make sure that not only gamers, but the kids of said gamers, love these new Overwatch characters, Blizzard has created this Overwatch teaser movie in the style of 'The Incredibles'. And it worked; my 7-year-old son loves Overwatch. And just like the little boy in the video, he loves Tracer. And he wants to be Tracer for Halloween.

There are sadly no commercially-available costumes for Tracer, for a nice low price of $22.99. The CosPlay crowd has of course already started to create costumes for Tracer and her friends, and even posted some of their step-by-step Tracer costume creation processes, but I don't have that time or cash to spend on a trick or treat Tracer costume for a 7-year old.

So my son's Tracer costume is being built with:

• An old brown sweatshirt. (I would have loved to get this bomber jacket but it is only sold in the UK and I'm across the pond in the Colonies.) 
• Ski Goggles that we already had
• Some rocking Tracer patches I found on Etsy by Serephitic
• Some LED lights: one from LED battery-operated base lite from Target for $15 and one random cheaper one from ACE hardware 
• 2 water guns that managed to survive the summer
• Black straps from his lunch boxes
• A pair of orange pants that barely fits him anymore
• Some old white gloves of mine from high school colorguard, plus some white pieces of foam
• Random stuff like Cardboard and duct-tape and binder clips and Chinese Take-out Containers

Stay Tuned! I'll post Part 2 of my venture into CosPlay after Halloween ...

It's OUR Responsibility to Create USA Jobs

If I hear another person demand 'what is the government doing to create jobs?' I am going to be sick. Look in the mirror and ask YOURSELF what YOU are doing to help create and support jobs in your country.

There are 2 things that anyone can do:

1. Start your own company. This takes some thought and is somewhat of a commitment.
2. Buy American-made products. This is a lot less commitment and a lot less thought.

Number (2) sounds easy, but not many people are doing it. We've become this culture of buying cheap, crappy, throw-away stuff with the idea that 'we can buy another' when it breaks.

Creating USA jobs takes an attitude shift and sacrifice on multiple levels.

Big Wheel Hot Cycle, baby! Remember those?

For consumers, instead of just walking out to buy the cheap imported item, you save your money and do some research to buy the good, domestic item. This isn't always easy, and it does involve some sacrifice. Personally, I've been struggling with a big wheel bike for my 3-year old son. Do I buy the cheap China-made Diego/Dora knockoff for $50? Or do I buy a real Made in the USA original Big Wheel for $150? Boy, I WANT one of those original big wheels for my son. So, I'm going for it. We'll just tighten our belts in other ways to pay for it.

The owners of the big companies need an attitude shift, too. There needs to be a sacrifice of short-term profit for the long-term goal of getting the American economy moving again. This is the hard one. Between Wall Street's pressure to have high profits, and the allure of a $1million bonus check if you do a good job, only certain C-level folks are willing and able to make the long-term investment.

What can we do as consumers to 'encourage' companies to make this investment?

Hurrah for New Balance!

First, support the companies that are already keeping their manufacturing in the USA. They NEED our support. Take the example of New Balance shoes. New Balance is the last major athletic shoe brand to manufacture footwear in the United States. They are struggling with foreign competition and free trade agreements that give the advantage to manufacturers from the outside. If you want to help support jobs, support companies like these!

Second, contact the companies that aren't manufacturing in the USA and complain. Especially the ones that used to do it. E-mails or letters are best because they are written correspondence. Express your frustration that more of their products aren't still made here. Tell them that you'll be taking your business elsewhere if they don't come back to the US.

Imagine what would happen if even one quarter of us here in the USA did this; I bet a lot of companies would come back in a hurry. Why don't we try and find out?

Picking the Perfect Potty

My 3-year-old son has just about moved past the 'potty' and upgraded to using the grown-up toilet all the time. Hurrah!

There are a variety of articles on the web about potty chairs and seats. You can read about the basic parts of the potty chairs as well as general info about what to look for in a potty. You can also read about folks who skipped the potty chair and went right for the seat, then immediately made sure it was a slow-close lid.

But based on my own recent experience, it is good to start with a little chair that is more their size, so here are the Nitpicky Consumer's rules to pick the perfect potty.

Rule 1: Never pay full price for a Potty
Seriously. A potty is a stylized plastic pot in which your child will (try to) deposit his pee and poo. This is not a family heirloom you are buying. The going range for new potty chairs seems to be $12-$100, (although I can't really fathom anyone paying $100 for such a thing), but you shouldn't pay anything more than $0-$10. Borrow a potty from a friend or co-worker, go to a yardsale, go to a consignment sale, check Craig's List. Do anything besides pay full price.

Rule 2: Have LOTS of Pottys
You can take all that money you saved by not buying new potty chairs and get MORE of them. Especially if your house has more than one floor, you're going to want more than one potty. (We had one on each level of our townhouse, and also in the family room area in front of the TV.) This way, when the little one needs to go, distance to the potty is never an obstacle

Rule 3: The more complex the Potty, the HARDER to CLEAN
Beware of grooves, designs, and cracks. Look at a Potty and say to yourself, "If toxic ooze got poured all over this entire Potty, how many crevices would be hard to clean?" If it seems overwhelming, move on and look for another Potty.

Rule 4: Go for the multi-tasking Potty
Some potty chairs are nothing more than a potty chair. But some are a little bit more. Here's what I was looking for:

•  A potty with a seat lid makes it double as a stool
•  A potty chair with a built-in removable potty seat allows you to have both pieces in one, and you can instantly rearrange the setup to suit the current whim of your child
•  A potty chair with handles can be easily carried around, so it doubles as both your in-house and your portable version

NOTE: Even if everyone follows the same four rules, we're still going to each end up with different potty chairs that we are happy with. 

Here is the one that we considered our 'Perfect Potty': the Graco Soft Seat Potty Trainer (Model 812K). It is clearly older: it seems to be out of stock or discontinued on most websites, and it is Made in the USA. When you can find it, it runs $19-$27 new. (So hopefully you can find it second-hand!)

• It was a clean-line design. Not many crevices
• I bought it for $7 at a consignment shop
• It had a lid, so he could use it as a stool or to prop his feet when he was sitting on the 'big toilet'
• It had a cushy removable potty seat that he used for a while to sit on the big toilet
• It didn't have carrying handles, but the world isn't perfect.

Graco was our perfect potty; I'd love to hear about what other folks found to be their 'perfect' potty.

Hinged Easter Eggs? Where's the fun in that?

This week is all about Easter Eggs. Making Jell-o Eggs. Dying Hard-boiled eggs with Paas. And getting a fresh batch of plastic eggs to fill with all sorts of wonderful treasure.

hinges and toys? what about loose halves and candy?

Usually, I just walk into any store and buy them. But not this year. This year the new fad seems to be hinged eggs. What? Hinges? Yuck. They were everywhere. I went to Giant. Hinges. Family Dollar. Hinges. A different Giant. Hinges. Finally, I got what I wanted at a CVS drugstore. Plastic eggs with no hinges. Leaving me free to mix & match as I please.

Why all of the hinges? They are a totally inferior product.

Ah, the power of the split halves

• Once the hinge snaps, what can you do with it but recycle it? If one half of a non-hinged egg breaks, you save it and pair it up with another one that had a broken half.
• How can you create eggs with each half a different color when they are hinged? Why stifle creativity like that?
• You need unhinged eggs in order to create a Sorting Eggs game for your preschooler
• And in case you were wondering, apparently the hinged eggs are a different type of plastic, so they can't be repainted to improve their infrared opacity, either. Who knew?

But whether you're using hinged or split eggs, real or Jell-o eggs, have a very Happy Easter.

A Tale of Three Sippy Cups

Happy St. Patrick's Day! My theme today is cups. Not cups that hold Beer, but cups that hold juice and milk.

A few years ago, I lamented about not being able to buy just the part I want for certain products. Now, I am further lamenting that even when it is possible, buying just the part I want is often difficult and expensive.

My Goal: Revive 3 Sippy/Straw Cups that have had just one part wear out on each of them. I don't want to toss them and get new ones. I just want to replace the broken parts.

The slightly worn Frog Cup

Nuby Flip-It Insulated Cup

My son chewed through the straw on this in a few weeks.  Tracking down this product was actually a bit difficult, as I bought it under the brand 'Cottontails.' But eventually the Internet led me to 'Nuby' and photos proved it was the same cup.

That tip then led me to Nuby's incomprehensible site. I just had no idea at all where to go after reading this wackiness, so I went to Amazon and found the Nuby Replacement Straw Kit for cups. The photo shows 3 lids, but it actually only includes one. The reviews are deservedly scathing: twice the price of a whole new cup just for a replacement straw, plus shipping??? It's one thing to reuse and replace, but it's another to get totally screwed while doing it.  After hunting around on Amazon a little more, I found another replacement straw kit that is a better deal, but still very close to the cost of a whole new cup. I thought about writing Nuby to complain, but the incomprehensible website (see above) had no way to Contact them that I could find. That's a little scary if I had actually had a serious issue with the cup.

The Dino Cup

Playtex Insulated Twist 'n Click Straw Cup 

My darling son chewed through the straw of this one in 2 days. So, I'm barely motivated to get a new one only to see it munched through again. You need to read essays of text to figure out which type of replacement straw you need, but they do have some pretty good photos and lots of big red warnings that warn you of common mistakes.  Same basic pricing issue as the Nuby cup: I can get a 2-pack of new cups for the same cost as 3 replacement straws plus shipping. I'm not sure that is worth it.
Playtex actually had a 'contact us' section on their website, so I wrote them about my frustrations in trying to replace the straw at a reasonable price.

It's frustrating that the straw wears out so quickly on this cup (My son chewed through it after two uses) but it is difficult and expensive to buy replacement parts. (You can buy the new cups in stores, but need to pay shipping for the replacement parts.) Have you considered packaging extra straws in with the cup and charging $1-$2 more? I don't think I'll bother with a new straw, but I am wondering if the cup is recyclable or if I have to trash it. It has no recycling symbol on it, but isn't polypropylene recyclable? 

 They wrote back within 48 hours. 

Thank you for contacting us regarding the Playtex® Insulator® Straw Cups. To answer your question, these cups have a recycle code of 5. Please contact your local recycling facility to verify they recycle this type of plastic. In appreciation for your feedback we are sending you two coupons that we encourage you to use towards any Playtex Infant Feeding products.

Well, maybe I'll try getting those replacement straws, after all! (Then, if he chews through the first in two days. I'll pack up the cup and give it as a gift to someone else.) 



Take & Toss

So Simple. So colorful.

These cups have been our all-around favorite cups, with the sippy cup lids rather than the straw lids. (Note: They are our favorites after you make the holes larger with an ice pick. This is an important detail as so many reviews of these have parents saying "We can't get a drop of liquid out through these lids!")

But our son chomps on these lids, too, and eventually they need to be replaced. The CUPS last forever; all we need are LIDS. But the only place to get lids is online and they cost of the lids is just about the same as the lid + cup, plus I need to pay shipping. Why is it so much more expensive to just get the lids? I pay it as a contribution to the environment (why buy more cups I don't need), but it is frustrating. I wrote to them about this ...

We like your sippy cups very much. For something supposedly designed to be tossed away, they are nearly indestructible. The lids, however, are more destructible. It is great that you sell replacement lids, but you only do it on your main site. Have you ever considered making these replacement parts more widely available? Have you ever considered packaging the cups with an extra lid and then just charging an extra dollar? Either of these would be helpful.

They wrote me back almost immediately, saying that they'd definitely pass along my ideas to their product department. Whether that actually happens or not, it was nice to get a response.

But one thing I'll say about Take & Toss... once the lids wear out you can definitely toss them in the recycling bin. There are just simple plastic, #5 recycling. (At least where we live, we can recycle these). That's nice. The other cups are too complex and I'm not sure they are really recyclable. I just made an order for more lids and more bowls. These things are great.

***

Are other folks having the same experience? That just one or two parts of these cups wear out and then you're stuck? 

Plastic Toys Made in the USA? Get outta here!

Just when you thought that every plastic toy manufacturer had shipped operations overseas, I've actually found TWO of them that continue to manufacture toys here in the USA.

My in-laws stumbled upon American Plastic Toys, Inc. in Walled Lake, MI. They bought the giant dump truck for my son for a gift. Tragically, it was broken right out of the box.

They called the company, and the company immediately shipped another truck to them. This second one has proven to be very sturdy and a huge hit. It holds a lot of stuff in the back, and unlike the two other dump truck toys we have, the back dump bed is a true box that holds whatever gets tossed into there without spilling. So he can pile of ton of blocks or train-tracks or whatever into it and zoom around with it.

And then, thanks to Todd at MadeinUSAforever.com,  I found Green Toys. Their products are Made in USA AND Made of 100% recycled plastic. It makes me almost giddy to see something as awesome as this. I must confess that we have not bought any of their trucks, simply because we have so many big trucks already. But I am wanting to buy some for someone else, to support this great company. I'm thinking I'll buy the recycle truck to give it as a gift or donate it to Toys-for-Tots.

Anyone else know of any other great plastic toys still made in the USA?

Best Mac & Cheese EVER

From the time I was little, I never liked Mac & Cheese. It seemed like a great concept -- I love cheese and I love noodles -- but it always tasted gritty to me. Yuck.

I decided to give Mac & Cheese another go now that I've got a toddler. So, I went to the store and randomly grabbed a few brands. I started to try each one. Yuck, yuck, yuck ... WAIT. One of them tasted good. GREAT, in fact. I pondered the box and suddenly realized the difference. The one that I liked was WHITE CHEDDAR, not standard yellow.  I experimented with several brands that do white cheddar and found them to be universally great.


With  this new found knowledge, I spent some time studying every type of macaroni product on the shelves. I was intrigued by a white cheddar & broccoli one that I saw, but I wasn't intrigued by the extra cost or the extra salt content. Then it occurred to me ... I bet I can make this myself.

Thus was born my toddlers absolute favorite lunch food, that I munch right along side of him. All you need on hand is your favorite brand of white cheddar mac & cheese (I like Annie's Homegrown Shells & White Cheddar, 6-Ounce Boxes (Pack of 24)) and some broccoli (we get a giant bag of frozen broccoli from COSTCO, so that we can just reach in and grab some).

1.  Boil the Water
2. Toss in the Broccoli, first
3. Then toss in the Pasta once the water is back to a boil
4. Boil for however many minutes the pasta calls for
5. Then mix in the cheese sauce, taking care to break up the broccoli as you mix

All Done! Instant, delicious lunch!

Infant Skinny Jeans: Are you SERIOUS?

I've been catching up on some of my old email, and I just couldn't believe it when I stumbled across this article (in the Wall Street Journal, no less). Skinny Jeans for infants and toddlers? At $40 each?  And the rationale is that in this rough economy parents skimp on themselves but not their kids?

Let me tell you something. If you are buying $40 jeans for your INFANT, who will outgrown them in a matter of weeks, you are NOT experiencing a rough economy in your household.

I was happy to see that the 3 pages of comments on the WSJ article were all as equally horrified, appalled, and disgusted as I was to read this. It's a horrible reflection on American society. How many people out there are really like this? How many people out there would really spent $200+ a year on a few pairs of skinny jeans for their child (who doesn't care AT ALL), as opposed to sale and thrift shopping, using that money to buy the entire wardrobe for the entire year, and then using the savings for better pursuits: retirement savings, education savings for the child, charitable contributions, etc.

Am I taking this too seriously? Is this a striking symptom of the bigger issue of Americans losing perspective and lacking to plan long term? Or is this just an example of a few fashion-crazed folks grabbing headlines for a day?

Of course, as soon as there is a trend in the high-end market, there are low-end copy cats, so you can already get the skinny infant jeans for $10-$20. But still, then you are left with the issue of whether or not skinny jeans are really the best idea for an infant who wants to crawl and waddle and roll ... not strike a pose.

Tracking down the Best of GeoTrax

The Geotrax Train system by Fisher-Price is pretty great. You can start to use it with two-year olds and the trains remain interesting quite frankly into adulthood. (Heck, I love playing with them, too.)

The problem is that they are not making very good pieces for it anymore. They have stopped making most of the really interesting ones. So, if you have a toddler and are considering investing in these, here is what you do.

Step 1: Buy the basic Remote Control Timbertown Railway at any standard retailer, toy shop, etc.

Step 2: Assess your toddler's reaction. Does s/he seem transfixed? If so ...

Step 3: Leave the retailers behind and go to the second-hand market. Consignment shops, Craigs list, Ebay, etc. Sniff around first and get a feel for prices. Then start buying. This is how you get the really cool stuff: the big sets of tracks, the clock tower, the mountain, the funky suspension bridges, the special tunnels.

Fun with Flying Discs

I laughed at the PS3's new 'Move' controller and the Sports Champion Game that was released with it. Really? Play frisbee on the TV? Let's just step outside, huh?

But, I've been won over. Not only is the Move fun. Not only is it a fun way to 'move' around during the winter, but watching some of these activities on the PS3 has made my toddler want to try them in real life. He is particularly enamored with Frisbee Golf, and would you believe that we actually have a real Disc Golf course at nearby Fairfax County Burke Lake Park?

So, I started hunting around for some flying discs ... frisbees or whatever brands might be out there. (My husband and I had frisbees growing up, but they've disappeared into the depths of our parents' respective garages). I remembered seeing a lighted disc in a catalog a long time ago, and I thought that might be great with the darker winter months coming along.

I stumbled onto a site that reviewed a bunch of lighted discs, and they said that the Aerobie Skylighter was the absolute best there was ... AND it was Made in USA! W00t! I ordered an Aerobie Skylighter (blue) and one of their non-lighted Aerobie SuperDisc Ultra (yellow). My son LOVES them. Just loves them. They are big and colorful and strong.

We took one out this weekend to nearby Accotink Lake park with our friends Tom & Christine. This discs are GREAT. They are easy to throw and easy to catch. I plan on getting a red and a green one, too, so that we have a whole set.

Anyone else have stories to share on buying standard or lighted flying discs?

Amazon Mom

I seem to be one of the only people at my office who doesn't already own an Amazon Prime account, so my friend Dianne pointed me to Amazon Mom

It grants 3 months of free 2-day shipping and that time extends if you buy stuff from the baby store. As Christmas is less than 3 months away, I am all about trying this out.

It asks you what you are (Mom, Dad, StepDad, etc.) then asks for the child's first name and birthday. The birthday is clearly for them to target products, so I trully hope that no one puts your child's REAL birthday. Anything in a 12-month period certainly gives enough info that they you can get appropriate promotions. I'm sure some folks would say that this is even too much info, that you narrow your childs age to a 365-day period, and that's a valid point. But life here in the digital age is all about balancing privacy with convenience. This is my balance.

So, we'll see how it goes. I was hoping that the FREE shipping applied to items that normally don't qualify for Super-Saver shipping because they are through Partner sites, but no such luck. Still, the potential for benefit is there. Let's see how much benefit I've gotten at the end of 3 months.

The Power of a Good Book

I've been going to my dentist my whole life. So as soon as my son was born, he said "Bring your little boy in when he's two and a half for his first visit!"

Six months ago, when he turned two, I decided that I didn't want him to just walk cold into a dentist office full of strange equipment. So, I started to read reviews of toddler books for a dentist visit.

There are actually lots of them, but the one that got the best reviews was Show Me Your Smile!: A Visit to the Dentist with Dora the Explorer. My son loved it, and so did I. The illustrations are VERY realistic. The chair, the light, the equipment. Very real. We read the book about 100 times.

So, fast forward to yesterday: his first trip to the dentist.

He was clearly a little nervous as we walked back into the room with the dental assistant. But then I pulled out the book and started to show him that we were at the Dentist! We were seeing all the cool things in his favorite book. As soon as he made the connection, he was SO EXCITED! There was the special light! And the tray! And the faucet and cup! And the X-ray machine!

We had a great time. He said "AHHHHH" and let the dental assistant count his teeth (briefly). Then he watched as she counted my teeth. And then he sat on my lap, facing me, and helped hold the suction while I was getting my teeth polished. It was a great visit, and I credit that book. I am 100% positive that if we had just walked in without the pre-reading, he would have been scare or bored or some horrible combo of both. Thanks, Dora!

I find myself wondering if anyone else has had similar learning experiences with books for their toddlers. Toilet training? Doctor? First time going to school? I'm ready to go get more books!