I WON! {Versatile Blogger Award}

I really was surprised that Sasha from One Rich Mother thought of me when she was choosing who to pass the Versatile Blogger Award to. Really, I was having a hard time trying to figure out just what type of blog I am writing here. Whenever I enter my blog into PR sites or blogger sites, I have to really think about what to put down in the little box that asks to describe your blog in 200 characters or less. "You've got to be kidding me!" is my first thought. So, I end up just writing a string of tags that I think might give the reader a good description... maybe.

Woo Hoo!!!

 You should really check out One Rich Mother. She is a relatively new blogger, like me, and has a lot to say about just about everything. I love her natural parenting posts and she always has something that is meaningful to me in every one of her posts. I look forward to reading her blog everyday!

Now, I must share seven things about me. Gee - this is going to be tough. I already did this a couple of weeks ago with the Cherry On Top and Stylish Blogger awards I received! Let's see...

1. I do not have a car. In fact, we haven't has a car for three years now. My husband was in an accident (he was fine) that totaled our minivan. We could have replaced it with the timely tax return we just received but we decided, instead, that we could manage without one for a few months - at least until Little Guy was due in November. Well, Little Guy was born and we still didn't have a car and everyone lived! So, rather than worrying about emissions and gas prices, we walk nearly everywhere. There is bus service in our town, but it sucks. We also get a ride to the grocery store once a month from a friend. That's when we stock up, so if anything gets missed, we just do without!
2. We are four people living in a tiny, one-bedroom apartment (my hubby calls it a "compartment".) I quit my crappy job soon after our van bit the dust and decided to focus on my schooling. The rent is very low here and we figured we could deal with the tiny place long enough for me to get a degree. 
3. I'm in my fourth year on my Bachelor's of Science. I am working on a Sociology degree with a minor in Education. When I graduate, I will continue schooling for a Masters in Education and, hopefully, go on to become a Nationally Certified Teacher, allowing me to work anywhere in the US without having to take each state's certification test. 
4. I do NOT want to be a regular teacher in a regular classroom in a regular public school!!! I love John Holt's view on compulsory education and would like to figure out how to unschool IN school. There HAS GOT to be a way. I'm thinking that the first step would be to have a one-room schoolhouse situation where children of all ages are in the classroom. Maybe I could open my own school for homeschoolers to meet once or twice a week to work on group projects or something... We'll see!
5. I hate doctors. I have yet to meet one who is not offended or afraid of having a patient whose knowledge in a particular area exceeds his/her own. I am well-versed in the pros and cons of vaccinations and am able to ask well-thought out questions. The last doctor I had for myself literally kicked me out after he asked me if I wanted the flu shot. I politely declined, so he went into his "you're risking the lives of your children" speech. Then, I asked him tow questions: Does the shot have a live virus, and Does the shot come from a large vial or is it individual (the amounts of mercury vary greatly in these.) He didn't know and got really pissed at me. Told me to leave and find a new doctor, then stormed out of the exam room! O...M...G...!
6. Another reason I hate doctors: My first husband died of cancer. It was Squamous Cell Cancer of the Skin. I did a LOT of research on this while he was ill. Turns out, the best cure (yes, I said CURE) for this is to literally cut the cancerous part of the skin off. Cancer is gone! He was a medicaid case at a large, posh hospital in Los Angeles. The doctor who was assigned to him was more than unhappy to be working on a patient who would not bring him glory. Now, I easily found a ton of research papers and studies that explained exactly how this type of operation should go - you cut the cancer out, then take a little piece of skin from the surrounding area that is left and check under a microscope to make sure that there are no cancer cells left. I asked about this and it turned out he skipped that part. (Guess his ego told him he could "eyeball" it.) My husband was FINE for six months after the surgery. Felt amazing, no problems whatsoever. Then he got sick again. He was told he still had some staples in his head (where the cancer was) and they needed to be removed. This went on for two years. We finally moved to Michigan and he was seen at U of M. He had the cancer back and it spread into his skull and was making its way to his brain stem - he had two months. See why I can't stand doctors???
7. OK, last one (I'll make it short! LOL

Now I am going to pass this award on to some of the blogs I like. I have recently been introduces to some pretty amazing blogs recently, thanks to The Peaceful Housewife's hosting the Natural Parenting Blog Party. I'd like to pass this award on to some of these new blogs and on to a couple of my old favorites:

This is one of my favorite blogs. Right now, Surviving a Teacher's Salary is having "Bug Month" - a month filled with bug-related posts. Everything from great products, contests, interesting facts, and even a daily update on the Painted Lady butterflies she's raising. Every week she has a post with "Educational Giveaways Around the Blogosphere" where you can find good, quality giveaways to help your little ones learn. 

Sorry, no button so here's his profile pic!

OK, so I just "discovered" Jeff's blog, Just a Bald Man..., on the Natural Parenting Blog Party. I LOVE his parenting philosophy. The first post of his that had me hooked was "The Myth of the Lazy Unschooler." THEN, I read "I'm Still That Dad" and I knew I'd be anxiously awaiting his next post, and the next... Go check his blog out right now!

Zoie, from TouchstoneZ, has really been an inspiration to me. She writes about all things related to natural parenting. From breastfeeding to attachment parenting, all I need to do is head on over to her blog to get some information. If she hasn't written a post about it, I know that she'll have a link to someone who has. In addition to having a great blog, Zoie makes it her mission to get out there and read, comment on, and share others' blogs. How cool is that?! I know for certain, for instance, that she managed to go to every single blog post from the March of Kindness meme at Code Name: Mama and comment on them. There had to be over 200 posts! PLUS, she managed to compile a list, in order, of each post for this meme!

When I am sick of the same old projects with the kids, or I just can't come up with anything, I only have to click over to Modern Parents Messy Kids and I have more ideas than I thought possible. The projects featured on this blog run from super-simple to more complicated. This is great because, with 10-1/2 years between my guys, it can be tough finding things for both of them! Right now, there's a great post entitled "Anatomy of a 'Creative Play Easter Basket'" that is just wonderful. It describes all of the ingredients for a non-edible Easter basket filled with inexpensive (and sometimes free) items that will help your kids get creative!

 

This is another blog that I am just beginning to become acquainted. I am an unschooler at heart, but I really like reading about different homeschooling methods. The Mystical Kingdom has many posts based on Waldorf Homeschooling. I am learning a lot and believe that there are tons of ideas that I can incorporate into our everyday activities. In addition to homeschooling posts, you'll find natural recipes, great craft ideas that use very little supplies, and just some feel-good posts about family.

There are more blogs I'd like to feature, but I'm just running out of time! I'm trying to work on a post that has a little bit about each blog I like and why. I'm thinking of turning it into a page that I add to as time goes on. We'll see... I have so many ideas and not nearly enough time!

Meet Me On Monday {4/18}

Howdy! Thanks, again, to Java for this great meme. If you want to join in, head over to Never Growing Old!

Now, before I get going on the questions, I want to let you know that I am participating in the Natural Parenting Blog Party. If you would like to join in, or are just interested in finding a few new natural parenting blogs, head on over to our host, The Peaceful Housewife.




 Also, I have a giveaway going on right now. It is for a $15 gift certificate to Freckles Crafts. It's a great craft store that specializes in all-inclusive craft kits for children. The kits sell for an average of $5, so with the GC, you could get yourself THREE kits for free! The giveaway is open to US and Canada and will close on 4/28.

 On to MMOM!

Questions:

1.  Caesar Salad or Garden Salad?
Garden salad. Well, let me change that. I like all of the stuff on Ceaser Salads, I just can't stand the dressing. Give me a nice Ceasar salad with Ranch or French dressing and I'm happy!

2.  Will you be watching the Royal Wedding on April 29th?
Uh... no? Had no idea it was happening so soon. I don't keep up on those things. All I knew was one of the prince guys is getting married. LOL

3.  Last thing you spent lots of money on?
Bills? Really, I spend the most on my cable/phone/internet bill. I mean, I'm too embarrassed to even mention how much it is! If you're talking about and actual thing, I'd have to say it was a PSP for my oldest for Christmas. I bought him a used one on eBay and nearly flipped at the price. That is, until I saw how much they cost new! Oh, and I don't usually contribute to his video game addiction. But I figured this was his last year doing Christmas as a "kid" and he deserved to get a thrill.

4.  Window seat or aisle seat?
Window - all the time. I'd rather look out the window and the trees, buildings, etc. than at all of the people. I'm a loaner like that.

5.  Do you know your blood type?
I think it's O-, but I'm not too sure. I'm almost "positive" it's O, though.

Thanks for stopping by! I'll be seeing you when I make my rounds. If you're here, please leave me a comment so I can be sure to visit you, too!

Confession: I Can't Boil an Egg

You read it right - I can't do it. I've tried all the methods. Start with cold water, bring it to a boil, turn off the heat, cover it, let it sit for 15 minutes... Then there's adding some vinegar to the water. I've boiled the eggs forever. I've used cold eggs and room temperature eggs. I just can't do it. I always get one of two (and sometimes BOTH) results: The peel sticks to the whites, leaving a yolk with a thin layer of chunky, misshapen white around it. Or, the yolk is still gooey in the center. Now, I don't care if the yolk has that greenish tinge around it. I just want to be able to make Deviled Eggs and egg salad that isn't all yolk.

It's quite embarrassing that I can't do this. I can make cakes from scratch. I love baking homemade croissants and making my own puff pastry for danishes. I can Create an 8-course Thanksgiving Dinner for 20 people and have everything get done cooking at the same time (that one took a LOT of practice!) So, why can't I make a hard-boiled egg?!

Last Year's Egg Hunt (Yeah, it was warm out!)

Now, every year, I host a little Egg Hunt and games for the kids in the neighborhood. It's nothing formal - just something fun to do to welcome spring. I would love to use real eggs this year. I can't figure out WHERE my husband stored our plastic eggs, OK? I refuse to buy more, so we are going to need to do this with real eggs. Plus, I want to try out some natural egg-dying methods. I've been saving up my yellow onion skins for a couple of months, and I froze some of the beets from last year's garden just for the occasion! The thing is, I don't want to send all of these kids home with eggs that haven't been cooked correctly.

So, I need your help - PLEASE! How do I boil an egg so it peels easily and the yolk is cooked all the way?

Getting to Know You {Natural Parenting Blog Party}

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Hello! I'm pretty excited to join in on the Natural Parenting Blog Party. I hope to learn something from each of you and, hopefully, you'll learn a few things from me too? If you're just hopping and are not aware of this great Blog Party, head over to The Peaceful Housewife and get linked up to participate!

My first post for this party is at the suggestion of our host. I've answered all of the getting to know you questions:





How many children do you have, and how old are they?
 I have two boys. My oldest is 13 and my youngest is 2-1/2. I thought that having them 10 1/2 years apart would mean less arguing, teasing, and just plan being annoying to each other. Nope! They both dish it out to each other. Not all of the time, at least! 

Do you have a partner, or are you a single parent?
 My first husband passed away from cancer when my oldest was seven. I remarried on Leap Day, 2008.





What are your “hot button” parenting issues?
I don't have any issues with other parents unless it comes to spanking and speaking down to children. I really  don't get nasty about these things, but I do try to talk to these parents about how to do things a little differently. I'm not pushy, but I think that, sometimes, people just don't realize that there are other ways of doing things. When you grow up being raised a certain way, it can be easy to do the same with your own kids unless you know there are alternatives that work.

Have you made any parenting choices that you didn’t think you would make before you were a parent, i.e. cloth diapering a child when you had previously thought it was disgusting?
No vaccines was a big one for me. I was one of the mainstream that blindly believed all of the "facts" that are generally out there (i.e. Your kid's going to die a horrible death if you don't give him shots!!!) I learned that you have to do your own research of many, many different points of view before you can make any decisions.
Oh, and I never thought I'd breastfeed for this long! I thought that the weaning goal of 2 years was out there, but now we're going on 2 1/2 and, while little guy is slowly self-weaning, I'm not in any big hurry to get it done. I'm just waiting for him to make the decision.

Is there one book or person in particular that’s heavily influenced your parenting choices?
John Holt's How Children Learn. Made all the difference in how I interact with my kids all of the time. I really rethink the rules, how I say things, and even how we play together. It's a wonderful book that led me to want to read more of his work!






If you had to describe each of your children using only one word, what word would you use?
Oldest - Sweet
Youngest - Determined!


Is there one parenting decision that you regret more than others and wish you could change?
I wish I had never, ever allowed my oldest to get the chicken pox vaccine. It didn't work. He's got to have boosters. Now that he's hitting puberty, the risks that go along with getting the disease are high - sterilization, shingles, complications from the disease... Plus, he's going to need boosters the rest of his life to avoid getting chicken pox. How many adults keep up with their boosters on time?! I wish I had been more assertive and knew my facts (the doctor told me it was "the law" and he'd call CPS if I didn't allow it - how ignorant could I have been to believe that?!) so I could have refused the stupid shot and allowed him to just get chicken pox naturally and be done with it.

Is there an area of your parenting you wish you were better at?
I wish I could be consistent. I seem to make "Do ___ or else ____ will happen" statements that I don't always follow through on. The kids have learned that it's better to take their chances than just do what I ask. They might get in trouble if they don't listen, but odds are better if they do what they want.

Now for the fun questions – is there one particular food or type of food that you could eat every day?
Is coffee food?!





Vanilla ice cream or chocolate?
Chocolate. Regular, old chocolate - no "stuff" mixed in. I LOVE chocolate soft serve in a regular cone!

What’s your guilty pleasure?
Coffee?? LOL! I love to bake. I sometimes get hubby to play with little guy "for just 1/2 hour while I get dinner going" and then disappear into the kitchen for a couple of hours to make bread, cookies, cakes, etc.

If you could be part of any television show, which show would it be?

Hmm... Mr. Roger's Neighborhood? No, I love the guy, but I'd probably go nuts after a while. I guess I'd love to be in Alton Brown's Good Eats. This show has taught me so much! I don't even realize how much until I'm cooking and I'm suddenly adding some weird spice to my meatloaf that "sounds" good and ends up making the best meatloaf ever - turns out I got it from the show. It's like everything I've heard on the show is embedded in my memory and I don't even know it.


I'm looking forward to meeting all of your, finding some new favorite blogs, and sharing tips and ideas!

A couple of giveaways going on here, right now! If you have a minute, please head over and enter:

I have a $10 Gift certificate to Jenny's The Peaceful Housewife Shop

I am giving away a $15 gift certificate to Freckles Crafts. They have some great craft kits that include everything you could possibly need to make the project. And the prices are low - the average kit costs about $4.99.

Super-Easy Crafting with Kids {Plus a GIVEAWAY}

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GIVEAWAY CLOSED

But you can still read the review - 

Freckles Crafts really does make 

crafting with kids "SUPER-EASY"! 

I love thinking up new ideas of crafts that Little Guy and I can make together. Sometimes I go online and surf all of the great blog posts that have simple projects. But, there are times when I'm just not feeling inspired. I've promised we'd do  project, yet I just can't think of anything to make and don't feel like looking for anything. I've found a great, inexpensive way to help on those days.

I'm not sure if you knew, but I won a full year of crafts from Freckles Crafts' One Year Anniversary/National Craft Month giveaway!!! What this equates to is one Freckles Craft Kit per month for the entire year. If you are not familiar with Freckles Crafts, you need to check them out.
These aren't your everyday craft kits. Each kit comes with EVERYTHING you will need to make the project. And I mean everything. It is pure heaven to be able to do a project with very little prep work!

Our first shipment came with three different craft kits: Bella the Butterfly, Betty the Bunny, and Bouquet of Buttons. After a nap and a snack on a cold and rainy day, I had Little Guy choose which he wanted to do. He decided on the Bouquet of Buttons after quite a bit of indecision.(Why didn't I just give him TWO choices?!) Our kit came with buttons, pipe cleaners, a pea pot, a little container of paint, paper "grass", a Styrofoam ball, and even a paint brush - we literally needed NOTHING of our own to make this. Oh, and did I mention that everything in the kits is washable and non-toxic?
   





I'm very glad that I took the time to read the instructions for all three crafts while he was asleep. The first step is to paint the pea pot, let it dry, then paint it again. Yeah, not going to work with my little guy. So, I managed to come up with a plan. He put the first coat of paint on the pot. While it was drying, we counted all of the buttons, talked about the colors and shapes, then sorted them into piles based on their size. The step after the painting was to sort the buttons so we would have one pile for each button flower we would make. For instance, each of the four large flowers needed a giant button, a large button, and a medium button. By the time we were done sorting, it was time to put on the second coat of paint. Crisis averted!

Now, I have to tell you that it took some will power for me to not help him do the painting. There were missed spots and areas that had big splats of paint on them that were going to take forever to dry. But it is so important to me to not "show off" how much better than him I can do things. That's not what this is about. I think that's why most kids stop doing some of the things they loved in their toddler and early preschool years. Why should they struggle to do something that's not going to turn out all that great when there's an adult right here who can so clearly do it perfectly and with very little effort? So, I stood back and praised the great job he was doing. I didn't wait until he was not looking to "fix" it up, either. He'd probably have noticed and, if not this time, he would eventually. What's that say about all of the praise I just gave him???

Sorry, just had to get that little lecture out of my system!

Back to the project. While the pot was drying for the second time, we started to make the flowers. We had to thread the buttons onto the pipe cleaners. I knew that Little Guy doesn't have the fine motor skills needed for this step, so I came up with a way for us to do it together. He knows about teamwork, and so I told him we needed to be a team because we had a lot of flowers to make (seven) and working together would be best. My job was to thread the buttons on the pipe cleaners. His job was to push the buttons all the way down the pipe cleaners and then twist them to hold our flowers in place once all of the buttons were on. It worked out perfectly - he didn't even seem to want to try to thread them.

The pot was dry enough to work with after we finished making the flowers. All that was left to do was put the Styrofoam ball into the pot, poke the pipe cleaner stems of the flowers into the ball, and then place the "grass" in the pot to hide the ball. All of these were done by Little Guy. I only helped by pushing the flowers a little further into the ball so they'd stay.

He was so proud of himself! I placed them prominently on a table in our living room where he can reach them. Now, normally, that would mean that the project would have been ruined about five minutes after I set it down. But he's so darn happy about the fact that he made this that he is very careful with it. Whenever someone comes over, he runs to get his flowers to show them off and have our guest smell them. After they do so, he says, "Smells like buttons!"

The craft kits average about $5 each, so they're very affordable to have on hand. I love the Craft Kit Gift Tote! You get five craft kits, a nice tote to keep them in (that can be personalized with a name for no extra charge), and a personalized card for just $30. What a wonderful gift. I'd LOVE to receive this (hint, hint!!!)

WIN! Now for the great news - Freckles Crafts is going to give one of my readers a $15 Gift Certificate to use on anything you want in their store!

***Please leave a SEPARATE comment for each entry and leave your email in at least one of your entries. I will be checking the validity of all entries before I choose the winner with Random.org. If you say you follow, please do so or you risk having your entry deleted! Open to residents of the U.S. and Canada.Giveaway will end on April 28th at 11:59 pm. Winner will be notified with an email and in a post on this blog. Winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be drawn.

Mandatory

Go to Freckles Crafts and tell me what you think you may put the $15 gift certificate toward.

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* I was not compensated for this post. I received a year's worth of free crafts by winning a giveaway from Freckles Crafts. This review was written because I wanted to share a really awesome place to find some great craft kits.  

Shirley Temple? No, Just a Proud Kid! {Wordless Wednesday 4/13}

I won a year of crafts from Freckles Crafts! We received out first shipment last week and had the opportunity to make our first project a few days ago (look for an upcoming post!) I can't get over the expression on his face - he is so incredibly proud of this one. Oh, and can you tell it was a rainy day? Poor kid's hair totally frizzes and poofs whenever it's humid!

UPDATE!  

Head on over to my Super-Easy Crafting with Kids post for a crafty Giveaway from Freckles Crafts!

Crafting With a Toddler Can Be Easy (Really, It Can!)

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I am a very creative person. If I'm not making something - anything - I start going a little nuts. I've managed to learn how to fit that need to be artistic into everyday chores. Cooking is the easiest because it can be a very creative pursuit all the way from mixing flavors to the presentation. Organizing can be done in such a way that I feel like I'm being creative - I decorate boxes that I shove store paperwork in, I arrange books so their spines make interesting patterns. You know, anything to get that artistic craving satisfied! So, when Little Guy got to be about 18 months old, I just had to start doing crafts with him. And, no, I'm not crazy!

First of all, we call these "Projects" because it just sounds important. I put a lot of meaning in the word. It's Project with a capital "P"! I've found, through trial and error, that our Projects tend to go better when I've prepared and executed them in a particular way. I'd like to do a little series of crafting-related posts and decided that the best place to start is describing my formula for a craft session that ends with everyone happy, no huge mess to clean up, and a proud little one. I focus on toddlers here, but these tips can be used with just about any age.




If you have any tips that you have found work for you and your little one, please share them!



Plan Ahead

1. Let your little one know you're going to be making something. Anticipation is key to a great experience. When I tell Little Guy that we're gong to do something, it gives him a feeling of empowerment. No, it really does! Think about how it must feel to be a toddler. You don't know about telling time, appointments, etc. One minute you're coloring, the next your mom is telling you it's time to go. "Where? Huh? No one told me about this. Maybe I'll have a tantrum right now!" Additionally, I'm trying to get Little Guy to understand the concepts of "First", "Next", "Then", "After", and "Last". So, I'll usually tell him something like this, "Hey, I have an idea! Let's do a project after nap time today. Would you like that? OK! Well, first we need to make lunch, next we have to eat lunch. And then we need to clean up our dishes, and after that we'll take a nap. And when we wake up, AFTER our nap, we can do a fun project together!"
2. Make sure to schedule the craft for a time when your child is in a good mood. Yeah, sounds like a no-brainer, right? But unless someone tells me stuff like this, I just don't think of it until I'm standing in my kitchen with bright red, non-washable paint dripping from me, the ceiling, the fridge, the toddler, and the cats (also covered in paint) are chasing the little beads that are rolling everywhere. So, please, for your own sanity, make sure your little one is happy. My guy is in his best mood after he's had a nap and a snack. He's cooperative, happy, and ready for anything during that time. If we ever need to do anything, that's when I schedule it!
3. Have all the items you will need ready. In order. Really. I usually had everything I needed (well, most of it) sitting in a big pile on the table. Then I read some tips from Linda's GummyLump.com Blog and saw this one. It makes perfect sense. I can't tell you how many times projects have gone south because I was spending more time rifling through my pile-o'-crafting-supplies trying to find two googly eyes that are the same size. Toddlers don't like waiting, especially when they're waiting over and over again. I line up all of my items on an old baking sheet while Little Guy is sleeping. I put them in order of when I'll need them. This may sound kind of OCD, but it really makes a difference. We can move from one step to the next the second he's ready. I'm not turning my back on  a toddler with a half-made craft, still wet with paint and glue for three seconds (the exact amount of time it takes most toddlers to completely dismantle said craft and lick half of the glue off. What is is with kids eating glue, anyway?!)
4. Use the fun factor of crafting to your advantage! Oh! This is a good one. Little Guy LOVES doing projects, so I have a great way to get him to do stuff like clean up his toys. Some may call it bribery, but I don't see it that way. I will tell him that it's almost time for our project and suggest that he start putting his toys away (they're always everywhere!) He'll usually dismiss me the first couple of times, but I know I've planted two ideas: We're going to make something, and The toys need to be cleaned up. Finally, I'll tell him that it's time to do his project right now. THAT gets some attention! Once he's listening, I can tell him, once again, that we can't do anything until the toys are cleaned up. The next thing I hear is Little Guy singing the Barney "Clean-Up" song.
5. Know the directions well. Yeah, read them. Two or three times. Make sure you understand what you're supposed to do. Pay special attention to drying times and things like that. You don't want to get your little one all psyched up for a fun time only to find that the first step is to glue two pieces of something together and then wait 30 minutes for the glue to dry. That would be something you could have done in advance, right? It also helps to ensure you have the right tools and supplies for the job.
6. Think twice about where you will be making this masterpiece. This is pretty important. A fairly confined area is best. Little ones like to explore. They can't help it. If you have your toddler working at the kitchen table, try to make sure he or she is in a booster seat. A half a second of you not watching can end up with your kid (covered in paint) crawling around under the table. And, as you know, once they start stuff like that, you'll never get them to sit still again. I put little guy in his high chair. It's confined. The tray keeps spills and splatters in one place. His attention stays focused on the task at hand.

 Getting Started

1. It's good to have two options. I know, I just told you to have all of your supplies in order and ready to go. Now, I'm going to tell you to give your child a choice between two projects. But it doesn't have to be a bad thing. Lots of projects use the same supplies. Let's say you have construction paper, pom-poms, glue, and googly eyes. Think of all the things you could make with those. Maybe ask your little one if he or she wants to make a duck or a bug today. Just don't do what I've done and give too many options. You'll most likely end up with a toddler who has no idea what they want to make, crying every time you decide for him or her. End of craft. See? So, why give them a choice? It makes this their project. That sense of ownership can mean that your toddler will be more apt to pay attention to direction, work carefully, and enjoy what their doing.
2. Go over the rules before you begin.You know, stuff like, "No touching the scissors unless I help you, they can hurt you." And, "Stir the paint very gently!" (I learned all about that one when I gave him the brush and he went at it like a chef beating an egg into submission. Paint everywhere!)
3. One step at a time. Don't start telling your toddler what you're going to do next when he hasn't even gotten through with what he's doing now. It can be distracting. It can lead to him wanting to do that next step - now!

 It's a Process...

1. Make sure you really want to do this and will have time for it. Your kid is going to know if you don't really want to be doing a craft right now. Have you ever had someone do something with you, knowing full well that they really didn't want to be there? Totally sucks the fun out of it. Your toddler knows. Don't make her feel like you're making a huge sacrifice just so she can paint. Then there's the time thing. Rushing a project can end up causing anxiety rather than a relaxing good time. This should be an enjoyable and leisurely time for you to spend a little one-on-one time together. Think about how often you focus completely on her and nothing else - no TV, no Internet, no iPod, no phone calls, etc. Now think of how important and special that will make your kiddo feel!
2. This is your toddler's project, NOT yours! It really doesn't matter WHAT the thing looks like when you're done. Please don't try to make it look perfect. Please don't grab the paintbrush and "fix" it. Please don't change it after you're little one leaves the room.
3. It's OK to make substitutions and skip steps. Really! I can't tell you how many times we've completely left something out (like glitter) because it's just too messy or complicated. And, sometimes I just don't have the supplies I need to create a project according to the directions. No googly eyes? Draw them on or have your little one make fingerprints where the eyes go. I no longer have poster paints or watercolors - we go through them too fast and they're expensive. I go online and find recipes for them. And the great part is that you don't have to worry about it if you have a toddler who likes to taste everything! (Look for some upcoming posts on this.)

Finishing Up

1. You don't have to complete your craft right now, or even today. Sometimes, in the middle of creating, a toddler will become bored. Don't push it. This is supposed to be fun and the minute it stops being fun is when you need to find something else to do. Sometimes just moving on to a different step in the craft will help. My little guy doesn't like the cutting part as much as gluing, so if he gets bored cutting, we'll stop and use whatever we have to glue with. Other times, a tantrum will hit when the "I'll do it myself" attitude takes hold - even when you know they cannot do it on their own. Tantrums mean it's just too much. A break until emotions cool down is the best plan.
2. How do you explain drying time?! Yeah, this is a tough one. What I try to do is figure out how we can change the steps in a craft so he's constantly got something to do. That way, we can allow paint to dry while we're busy with another task. For instance, we recently had a project where we had to paint a flower pot with two coats of paint, letting it dry in between, as the first step. What we did was paint one coat and, while it was drying, we cut out some shapes from paper. Then the next coat went on, and we really couldn't do anything more until it was dry. So, I made something up. We ended up arranging our cut-outs by size, then shape, then color... It kept him busy, was project-related, and hey - we got a little learning in, too! If you just can't think of anything to do while the paint is drying, pull out a piece of paper and some markers. You can always cut a piece off and glue it somewhere on the project later.
3. Cleaning up can be fun! Have your child help. Talk about what a great help he or she is being - constantly. Let them use your kitchen sponge - the one they always see you using for the dishes. Little ones really want to model the adults around them and by asking them to help you clean and letting them use the same cleaning tools that you use, you're showing them that they can do this stuff, too! And, that by doing it, they're really, really helping you out. Even after we're done, I'll loudly tell other people how Little Guy helped me clean up and what a great job he did. He hears this and gets the proudest look on his face.
4. Instill that sense of pride in your little one and take lots of pictures. Keep telling your toddler what a great job they're doing. Though it can be hard sometimes, let them decide what colors to use and where to glue the ears. You might end up with a green bunny or a face that looks like Picasso painted it, but it doesn't matter. It really doesn't. Is the world going to end if your kid's flower only has one petal and a purple stem? Nope! By encouraging your child's creativity, you're showing them that they can do something, that they have the ability to make their own decisions, that they don't always need your help. Taking a ton of photos also shows them how important their "work" is to you. I know that when I get the camera out, Little Guy already know that we're doing something special. I usually only get three or four good photos after I eliminate all of the closed eyes, weird looks, and unfocused ones. (I LOVE having a digital camera that allows me to delete!)

I plan to write a few craft ideas, reviews on supplies, how to make your own non-toxic supplies, and other craft-related posts in the coming weeks, so keep an eye out. You may want to sign up for emails so you don't miss anything (just below the Networked Blogs widget in the sidebar.)

UPDATE: Head on over to my Super-Easy Crafting with Kids post for a crafty GIVEAWAY!

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*** I've entered this post as my link in the Lower Your Alexa Hop hosted by Real Mom Reviews. If you'd like to join in, head on over and read the instructions. Please follow the rules! This is a Wednesday Hop which posts every Tuesday evening around 7pm. My Alexa has dropped almost 500,000 in the four weeks I have participated!
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I just came across this Alexa Hop, too! I hope I'm not committing a major blogger faux pas by combining the two in one post. (Please let me know if I am - somebody? anybody?) This hop is hosted by Spearmint Baby, a blog with lots of great parenting posts. The rules are the same: Download and install the Alexa Toolbar, link up, hop around. Make sure to leave a comment at each blog so they can return the favor by heading over to yours.

Lower Your Alexa Hop! {4/11}

Here we are again! I'm down to 613,000!!! I was pretty sick last week. Although I may not have posted comments on all of your blogs, I did go and read at least one post on everyone's blog who left me a comment, and I brought my Alexa toolbar with me! If you'd like to participate in this hop, scroll down and read the rules and get the link!

Here are my posts from last week:

Wordless Wednesday - Curiosity

Roger Daltrey Was in My Kitchen!!!

They're not too bad, so please check them out if you have a minute.

Also, I have a giveaway ending on Friday with very low entries. Consider stopping by and entering to win a $10 GC to The Peaceful Housewife's new online store that carries green cleaning supplies. With her items costing $2-$3 each, you could do a LOT with $10!

From Real Mom Reviews' Alexa Hop Post:

Welcome to Week Four of the "Lower Your Alexa Hop"!
Don't read the rules, I will delete your link!

 This hop works a bit differently than most!
IMPORTANT Please make sure you have the ALEXA TOOLBAR installed.

Why do you need the Alexa Toolbar? "Alexa computes traffic rankings by analyzing the Web usage of millions of Alexa Toolbar users and data obtained from other, diverse traffic data sources." Now in english... When someone with the Alexa Toolbar visits your site, it helps lower your Alexa! More info on that here and here

In the Linky Please leave a link to a post you would like people to hop to and leave a comment!
Then hop to the other blogs on the linky and leave a comment on their post! The goal of this is to help lower your Alexa, while getting interesting commets on your favorite post! So please dont just leave a comment saying "Hi from the hop". READ the post!!

Do NOT just link to your blog, link to a POST people can leave a comment on, so you know people actually are hopping.

Meet Me on Monday! {4/11}

Yeah, no photos this week. I'm running late with everything today! Long story short: I have a huge project due for my class and read the instructions wrong. The work I did can't be used and I have until midnight tonight to do an entirely new project! UGH!!!



1.  Who would be your dream celebrity date?
  Um... I gotta say that I really don't have a dream date. All the guys I find attractive are either really old or dead. As I mentioned in my last post, Roger Daltrey Was In My Kitchen, I should have been born a generation sooner!

2.  Do you have any food restrictions?
 Only the ones I impose. That's basically no fat-free, low-fat, sugar-free stuff. Sounds bad, doesn't it? But I'm underweight, my husband and kids are skinny. Most of those foods have chemicals replacing the fat/sugar in them. I'd rather take my chances on the "bad-for-you" sugar, butter, etc.

3.  How much time do you take to get ready in the morning?
Um... getting ready for what?! I'm a SAHM, so my getting ready pretty much means getting out of bed and downing a couple of cups of coffee immediately. I'm still in my PJ's at 9am (to be honest, they'll probably still be on two hours from now), my hair gets braided before bed and I'll comb it sometime today. I haven't worn make up since last Christmas, when I realized that ALL of my makeup was so old that it either dried up or separated. So, no make up for me.

4.  Sausage or bacon?
Hmm... good question! I love Bob Evans sausage links. When I was pregnant, I made those with pancakes about three times a week. But then, bacon is just perfect if cooked correctly. And it smells great! Until the next day when you have that greasy, bacony scent still clinging to the walls. And it's messy to cook, for me at least! Grease everywhere, no matter how careful I am. I've taken to tossing it on a baking sheet and putting it in the oven, but that comes with it's own set of dangers and messes!

5.  Do you Google, Bing or Yahoo?
Uh... search engines? Google. All of the time. I love all of the options, especially the blog search and the scholar search. Usually, no matter what kind of stupid mixture of keywords i put in, the perfect result is usually on the first page.

Roger Daltrey Was in My Kitchen!!!

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Did I ever tell you that I was born an entire generation too late?  If my birth date were just twenty years earlier, I'd have had the pleasure of seeing and hearing all of my favorite rock bands LIVE. But, then, I'd probably be living in England right now because, after selling everything I owned to get myself on a rowboat across the Atlantic, I'd have been too broke to ever get back this way. Anyway... I guess what I'm saying is I LOVE British rock from the 60's and 70's: Pink Floyd, The Beatles (Lennon!), Jethro Tull, King Crimson, Traffic, The Animals, The Yardbirds (Jeff Beck!), Moody Blues, Led Zeppelin, and, of course, The Who. (No, I don't take psychedelics!) Not only is the music spectacular, these guys (well, most of them) were HOT. [Disclaimer: Please notice the "were" part in the previous sentence. I once had the pleasure of waiting on Robert Plant when I waited tables in L.A. and he looked... um, melted!]

So, it's amazing, really.
Here I am, getting out the stuff to make brownies when this offer of help comes from out of the blue. The voice went right through me, the smile was heart-stopping. Oh, and I can't forget about that wild, unruly, and curly blond hair. And those dancing, electric-blue eyes! What could I say? "No, you sit down and have something to drink. I can do this myself." Uh-uh!
 

OK, so maybe it really wasn't Roger Daltrey. Maybe I got mixed up. But, in my defense, they are doing a LOT with plastic surgery and wrinkle creams nowadays.

 We've been calling Little Guy's interesting hair style "The Roger" lately. I have this desire to cut a little bit off just so his curls will be curly again. Right now it's kind of weird: straight on the very top, wavy on the sides, and he has the cutest Shirley Temple ringlets in the back - you can pull on them and they boing right back into place! I'm just afraid that I'll screw it up and my cute little guy will end up with a "respectable" Republican hair cut (no offense to any Republicans out there who I am pretty sure aren't reading THIS blog.) We'll see what happens...

*** I need to thank Two Classy Chics' Blog for hosting the giveaway for a That's My Shirt gift certificate that bought Little Guy's totally awesome The Who - Magic Bus shirt! And, no, no one paid me or gave me anything to say that. I just thought I'd be nice and mention these fine folks for giving me free stuff in exchange for liking and following them all over the Internet.