Easy Preschooler Entertainment

Yesterday I was working on a cross stitch for my soon-to-arrive niece. Nick curled up next to me and was very intent on knowing what I was doing. I told him I was sewing a turtle for Betsy. He asked if he could sew a turtle for Betsy too.

Not wanting to discourage his craftiness, I said sure. Then I had to come up with a turtle for him to sew! This is what I did.:

1. I drew a very simple turtle on a piece of fairly heavy (not-corrugated) cardboard. I cut the edges to shape it a little bit, leaving half an inch or so of space between the picture and the edge.

2. Using my three-hole punch, I made holes every couple of inches all the way around.

3. I gave him a shoelace and the picture and showed him how to push the end through the holes. He's been "sewing" ever since.



I know they sell these types of things (because I've bought them myself) but I'm happier with my homemade one. It's made of sturdier material, it can be made in whatever shape my son fancies at the moment, and when the baby gets a hold of it and gums it to mush I can easily, and cheaply, make another one.

Bananas for Baby

Yesterday I was looking for a little something more to feed the baby; we're in that stage where we're waiting three or four days between introducing foods, and all I had in jars was new foods. I suddenly remembered some overly ripe bananas I had stashed in the freezer to turn into bread for funerals. And it occurred to me that after they are frozen bananas are smooth and mushy with no effort at all--perfect baby food! Sure enough, Lucas gobbled down half of one in no time.

I'm adding this to my mental list of "duh!" ideas. So much easier, and less wasteful, than trying to squish up fresh bananas with a fork.

Ahh...Vacation

Today ended the first "real" family vacation I've taken (as a mom, not a kid). It was not entirely stress-free, but I am definitely more laid back now than I was two weeks ago. So now that we're all back to real life I am making a conscious effort to maintain that vacation state of mind.

I didn't get worked up when Ben's work schedule got changed or when he had to fix lunch because I needed to nurse the baby. I took the kids outside to blow bubbles, even though I hadn't finished the laundry and there were still two pans of cookies to bake.

So pretty good...except for totally losing my cool when I just could not locate Luke's birth certificate. Someday when I'm feeling especially zen I really need to clean out that office closet!