Baby Gift Idea

Is it just me or is the whole world pregnant? It's probably just my stage of life, but I feel as if everyone is sporting a swelling belly. For me, this means a steady stream of baby shower invitations.

One Rainy Day

Our house is officially under contract, which means we can once again pull out our messy paints! It's a mild, rainy spring day, so we decided to paint a picture of the rain.

Yes, we do own an easel but it - along with so much other "stuff" - was stored away when we listed the house. The fridge actually works quite well, and A enjoyed spreading the watered-down (washable) blue and green paint onto the paper.

She was also excited to discover the tiny raindrops I had applied ahead of time with a wax crayon. If I were to do it again, I'd fill in the raindrops with crayon as well.

One Rainy Day by Tammi Salzano

Duck loves the rain, because rain means red boots, an orange umbrella, yellow flowers, and so much more. Like any good board book, it's not the story that takes center stage, but the illustrations. Bright, cheerful drawings fill each page and tell the story through colorful and adorable characters. Accentuating the artwork are silver foil raindrops which not only fall from the sky, but drip and puddle on the illustrated leaves.

I thought this padded board book might be a little young for A, but she loved it from the start. It's her current favorite and our must-read before naptime.

Update: You can win your own copy of One Rainy Day! To enter, just visit Tiger Tails Books and comment on your thoughts about ebooks for kids.

Disclaimer: One Rainy Day was provided to me courtesy of Tiger Tails Books free of charge in exchange for a review. This does not in any way influence my review. 


I'm linking up to:
- stART @ A Mommy's Adventures 

Shape Train

Our theme this week is TRAINS! Those of you with little boys would probably be happy if you never saw another toy train - let alone another episode of Thomas or Dinosaur Train - again. But I have girls and while we are drowning in princesses, trains are a rare treat.

This simple train craft is easy to make and reinforces both shapes and color recognition. Simply grab what you already have on-hand: a few sheets of construction paper, scissors, and God's gift to teachers and moms everywhere: a glue stick.

My glue-obsessed girls did a great job building their trains from three rectangles, one square, one triangle, and seven circles.

Of course, that's not the only thing A glued...

and no project of hers is complete without first being turned upside down, scribbled upon, and then torn apart.

My eldest independent-thinker used extra scraps to turn hers into a bustling train, puffing smoke as it races along.

Freight Train by Donald Crews

This Caldecott honor book is perfect for teaching colors to train-loving toddlers. The sparse text on each page describe one of the train cars: "Green cattle car," "blue gondola car," etc. The illustrations are simple, utilizing only six basic colors and shades of black.

This is a great one to buy as a board book for babies and younger toddlers. There are also Spanish editions, for those of you who wish to introduce a new language to your little ones.

I'm linking up to:
- Show & Tell at ABC & 123
- stART @ A Mommy's Adventures

MYO (Free!) Color Book

We all have our tricks for getting our toddlers through the grocery store. A baggy of goldfish and a sippy of juice is my personal favorite. Today required a little extra creativity, so while looking for chalkboard paint in Walmart's paint aisle, I grabbed a handful of paint chips for A to gnaw on play with. She is just on the cusp of learning her colors and loved looking at these free pieces of paper. It got us through the paint aisle, diaper aisle, and nearly the entire grocery department!

The Dutchboy paint swatches at Walmart come with square cut-outs, so when we got home I ran a ribbon through the holes to create a simple and free color book. I might glue pictures of colored items to the back of the cards, but at the moment this 5-second swatch book is the new favorite toy.

I also found at Walmart this great color book: Flaptastic Colors

You gotta love a flap book that's impossible to rip off the flaps! Each page of this board book opens up (in a different direction) to reveal the answer to the question...

... and show more examples of that color.

It's got a great color scheme and a clean design; I even like their font choices. If you're looking for a simple board book to introduce colors, I'd recommend checking this one out.

Feed Me Books Friday

E has been battling the stomach bug the last couple days, so I don't have a great post planned for today. It was all I could do to get up, dressed, and disinfect the house this morning. Instead, I thought I would join a wonderful party at a wonderful blog. Here are the books we've been reading this week:

Diary of a Worm

by Doreen Cronin

The title says it all! This adorable picture book is the diary of an adolecent earthworm and is absolutely adorable. I don't want to tell you much about it, and ruin it for you, but trust me that the story - while not overly educational - is as entertaining as it is endearing.

Ruby: The Red Fairy

by Daisy Meadows

E started on chapter books this past winter, and the Fairy series are one of the few preschool-age appropriate chapter books I have come across. Each book focuses on a different fairy relative to that series: colors, pets, musical instruments... it's quite the franchise. E read the entire book during "nap" time, so I think I'm going to need to find more at the library soon.

Big and Little

by Samantha Berger

This is A's current favorite book. I inherited it from my sister - it's honestly not one that would have caught my eye. The pages are of different big and little things: bears, hands, leaves, chairs, etc. Each page says "Big Bear and Little Bear." Yep, that's it. Totally simple and the pictures aren't even that great, but A LOVES it. She's been carrying the book everywhere around the house and "reading" it to herself. Her language development has really taken off these past few weeks, and I think she's enjoying being able to name things like "bear," "chair," and "hands." She will constantly interrupt me to have me help her discern which is the big object and which is the small.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Bunnies on the shirt! Bunnies in the hair!

Bunnies everywhere! E's preschool Easter party is this Thursday and the poor child had nothing festive to wear. I know, the shame! Obviously I'm being facetious, but E's classmates are so often decked out in the cutest, gymboree-est outfits, it makes me a little embarrassed I clothe her continually in t-shirts and jeans. So, this time I'm clothing her in an adorable t-shirt and jeans.

I ran across a bunny stencil download at Two Giggle Boxes and used it to do a simple bunny applique on E's old t-shirt. It's a size too small, but I figured we could squeeze one more use out of it before it was stuffed into the attic. The fabric I used for the bunny is a scrap I had on-hand, and I thought the green and blue was a nice change from pink.

To complete the ensemble, I attempted this bunny ponytail holder inspired by Vanessa at Silly Eagle Books. (If you don't know Vanessa, run-do-not-walk over to Silly Eagle Books and check her out. When I read "we go through books the way pandas tear through bamboo forests," I knew I had found a kindred spirit. Seriously, you're going to love her.) Vanessa used large buttons and pretty ribbon to make her ponytails. All my buttons were ugly, however, so I covered one in the same fabric as the shirt. Vanessa and I debated whether eyes would make these accessories even cuter, so I went ahead and glued a couple on. You be the judge. I think I like Vanessa's minimalist approach better, but E was happy with her new hair doodad.

And because I promised you meaningful Easter books this week (not to mention I am plum out of bunny books)...

Let's Celebrate Jesus on Easter by Amy Beveridge

This board book (it comes in a $3 paperback version as well) is a great companion to The Easter Story. Instead of explaining the origin of Easter, the book lists some of the fun things we do at Easter-time and then juxtaposes that fun thing with a truth about God. For example, one page shows a little boy looking for Easter eggs with his friends accompanied by the words "At Easter I will hunt for eggs..." The next page shows him holding his dad's hand in a crowd and finishes the sentence with "But Jesus never has to hunt for me- he always knows right where I am. 'Every moment you know where I am.' Psalm 139:3"

I was a little dismissive of this book at first, because it seems to focus on the secular aspects of the holiday, but I've grown to appreciate it. Much of our celebrating does involve egg hunts and chocolate bunnies, and I like how the book ties these familiar things into spiritual truths my girls can understand. I also appreciate the inclusion of short Bible verses in each section. The book finishes with a simple prayer that is perfect to finish up our bedtime routine.

Easy Peasy Color Game

I'll admit it. I have no clue what to do with my kids until they turn 2 and can talk. E was an early talker. Actually, she was an early everything, so I didn't have to wait long to start teaching letters, colors, shapes, etc. She learned to read at 3, and at 5 she's flying through chapter books. A is moving at a slower (if much more normal) pace.

Here is a simple activity that engaged both my girls. These Color Matching Eggs are a first introduction to colors. All you need is a 6-egg carton, some plastic eggs, and paint.  Paint the inside of the carton cups to match the eggs. E was happy to do this for me during A's nap.

When it's dry, stick the eggs in and close it up as a surprise for baby! (Yes, I know she looks like a boy in that outfit, but today is laundry day and this is what was clean. My poor girls don't grow long hair until they're nearly 3.)

A pulled the eggs out one by one and showed them to E who told her the color. It was seriously the cutest thing to witness. A loved hearing each egg's color name and rewarded E with big smiles. Honestly, it's moments like this that make those extra nine months of puking so worth it. I love watching the girls develop a friendship.

Later, E decided to dump out the eggs and try to let A put them in the right spot. The baby was happy to oblige her big sister and place each egg where she was told.

Speaking of eggs...


Good Egg by Barney Saltzberg

Here is a board book that won't bore you. Egg is as talented as any pet. He can stay, sit, and roll over (with a little help from your toddler and a few tricky pull-tabs.) The graphics are clean, simple, and while your baby won't understand the ironic humor of the story, he will love to make egg move. The end of the book gives little ones a surprise when you ask the egg to "speak".

A Classy Heart

This year I'm responsible for E's pre-K Valentine's Day party. Despite the fact that this is her third year in school, this is my very first party. I've lucked out the past two years with canceled parties, but now I'm having to face the music. Surely I, a children's book and craft blogger, can throw a little preschool party!
The trick is finding a craft that will take up an appropriate amount of time, be easy enough for 4 year olds to do with little assistance, and not create a huge mess for the teachers. My find:

Pony Bead & Pipe Cleaner Heart Necklace.

I came across the tutorial on the Women's Day website via One Pretty Thing. I modified it a bit to make it even simpler:

What you'll need:

• 1 red pipe cleaner
• 24 red, white, and pink pony beads
• white ribbon

1. Fold the pipe cleaner in half and give to the child with a bag of beads.

2. Have the child thread the beads onto each side of pipe cleaner in whatever pattern they choose.

3. Thread the last bead onto both pipe cleaners and twist down to shape into a heart.

4. Wrap the ends of the pipe cleaner around that final bead and trim, tucking extra into two neighboring beads.

5. Loop a ribbon around the heart to create a necklace.

Voila! A pretty heart necklace the girls can wear and the boys can beat each other with give to their moms.

For storytime, I'm reading my new favorite book: My Heart is Like a Zoo. But if you haven't run out and bought it yet, here are a few others that might work...

Snuggle Puppy by Sandra Boynton

All the Boynton books are cute, but this one is pretty adorable. Read to your own little snuggle puppy (or to a class of precocious 4 year olds) and enjoy a silly but sweet song of love.







Happy Valentine's Day, Mouse! by Laura Numeroff

So it's getting obvious that this franchise is going to milk every holiday for every last cent, but that doesn't mean it's not a cute read. I mean, c'mon, that's one adorable little mouse!

Straight from the Heart

It's February and that means love (or at least lots of hearts, teddy bears, and candy) is in the air. We've been "snowed-in" the past few days which meant coming up with Valentine-themed crafts from our current stock of dwindling supplies. With a little ingenuity, I came up with activities for each of the girls.

E enjoyed creating this Lace-Up Valentine. I have been woefully remiss in the lace-up and tie department, but better late than never. I've seen fancy lacing cards in stores, but this was so simple. Just cut a large heart out of poster board and punch holes around at even intervals. Hand your child some markers and a shoelace!

To keep A busy, I threw together this Sensory Bin. I've seen Allison @ No Time for Flashcards do loads of these for her son, but this was my first. I found a very old box of macaroni and a bag of 17 bean soup from Trader Joes that I knew we were never going to eat. What is it about Trader Joes that makes you gleefully throw items in your cart that you'd never otherwise consider? We don't even like beans! I also tossed in some hearts I cut out of felt and fleece as well as a few silk flowers.

In no time she was scooping, pouring, picking, and sorting. Not much longer after that she was tossing, chucking, and feeding to the dog. Still, I'll declare anything that gives me 5-10 uninterrupted minutes a success!

Fancy Nancy: Heart to Heart by Jane O'Connor

You know I'm a sucker for Fancy Nancy books, especially ones that cost less than $5. This isn't quite as well-written or developed as the others in the series, but it's a nice little story for any nice little girls you may have in your life. The last page contains a sheet of stickers to help your daughter decorate a valentine of her own. Why not make it a lace-up one? :)






Where Is Love, Biscuit? by Alyssa Satin Capucilli

Biscuit books are always cute, and this one includes touch and feel sections on each page. Unlike many board books, the narration wasn't boring or inane, but sweet with a  message that love can be found in the family and friends that surround us.