A New Year... a new house!

I know I've been MIA, but we just leaped into the process of selling our current house and buying a new one. So I am currently up to my eyes in painting, cleaning, raking, organizing, and trying to find random necessary paperwork. (Where did I put 2009's W2's?) As if that weren't enough, I'm also attempting to potty train A. It's been particularly fun when those two activities meet, like last night when I'm meeting with the realtor and my toddler comes to me drenched in her own urine and feces.

I will survive, but I might not be blogging much in the next few weeks.

In the meantime, I thought I would mention my favorite house/moving-related kids books:

The Little House 

by Virginia Lee Burton

 

I think this is the third time I've mentioned this book on my blog. What can I say? It was my favorite as a child, and I still love it.

The House That Jill Built 

by Phyllis Root

 

Pages and pages of flap-lifting fun for kiddos. I promise the quirky illustrations more than make up for the rather repetitive "House that Jack Built" rhyming story style.

Half A World Away 

by Libby Gleeson

 

We're only moving a few miles away, but this is my favorite "goodbye" book. You can read my review here. It's a fabulous one to help kids cope with moving - or having someone - move away.

So what are your favorite "new house" books? Do you have any recommendations to help prepare my girls for the move?

Cleaning with Kids: Clean Up Mini Chore Frames

This is what our playroom looks like on a good day. Sometimes I think it would be easier to clean it up myself than to get the girls to straighten it up. It's a daily struggle, and while I always win the battle, I feel like I'm losing the war. A is still too little, and E becomes hysterical when asked to tackle a mess this big. "But what do I clean up FIRST?" "What do I clean up NEXT?" "Mooooommmmmmyyyyyy, I don't KNOW what to CLEAN UP!"

While I would love to have the time to stand still and direct her every move, I'm usually in the middle of making dinner or changing a diaper or, you know, surfing Facebook. So I finally devised a solution: Chore Mini Frames!

Target has these little frames (3.5" x 2.5") in their dollar spot. I got this pack of 4 for $2.50. Using Scrapblog.com, I created placards for four categories of toys: Books, Dolls & Dollhouse, Kitchen, and Toys. (Click on the picture if you'd like to download for yourself.)

E was thrilled with the placards. I thought about hanging them on the wall, but decided to just set them up on the toyshelf so we can rearrange the order. In no time she had the playroom looking like this:

Can you hear the Hallelujah chorus? My 20 minute Scrapblog project resulted in nothing short of the miraculous. Victory might be mine afterall!

Too Many Toys by David Shannon

If you like David Shannon, you're sure to be happy with his latest book. Spencer has too many toys! Most of the book describes his various toys and their ubiquity throughout the house. Finally, his mother has had enough (sound familiar?) and insists that he get rid of some. They begin to haggle over every toy (my favorite line is when the mother says, "What are you, a lawyer now?!") until they finally fill the box. Spencer's poor mother thinks she's finally gotten the upper-hand, but in the end her son triumphs... in a surprise ending that winks at every parent reading the story.


I'm linking up to:
- SOYS @ Fireflies & Jellybeans
- Sixth Street Design School

Cleaning with Kids: Laundry Soap Nuts

My kids love helping with laundry. I've taught E to put her clothes in the hamper, to sort the dirty clothes into darks and lights, and to load the washer evenly. Now I've found a way to let her add the detergent: soap nuts!

My friend Miki turned me on to these magical little berries that wash and soften your clothes. You just toss them five or six of them in the included baggie, throw them in the washing machine, load your clothes, and you're good to go! According to Naturoli's website:

"...soap nuts are the dried shells (or husks) from the soapberry (or soap berry nut). These berries are the fruit from a quite unique tree species. These shells contain a substance called saponin that produces a soaping effect. Saponin is a 100% natural alternative to chemical laundry detergent and cleansers. It can replace many chemical detergents such as those containing sodium laureth sulphate (SLS) that are becoming well known by consumers for being a skin irritant and health hazard."

Yes, I know what you're thinking, and I was pretty skeptical as well. That's why I ordered a sample from Amazon. Following directions, I soaked the berries first and then let E toss it into the wash...

along with all the clothes.

You've got to love this age where household chores are a treat! In the end, I was pretty impressed with the soap nuts. One little bag is good for 4-5 loads, and the clothes came out fresh-smelling and super-soft. (It did not, however, get out stains.) E loved helping me do the laundry this week, and I loved that I didn't have to worry about her handling harsh detergents. Now if I can just teach her to fold... :)

Dancing Boy by Ronald Himler

This book isn't about laundry, but it is about naked children! In this wordless story a little boy dances naked into town. One by one the children of the town shed their clothes and leave behind their mundane tasks to follow him dancing through the streets. The local children stop at the edge of town and watch the little boy dance down the road before returning to their clothes and normal lives.

The watercolors are just beautiful! The children's nudity is tasteful, and sure to inspire your little ones to strip. My only complaint would be the lack of action. The adults seem oblivious to the kids' clothing-optional activities; in fact, they ignore them completely. I would have liked to see some interaction between the children and the adults. That small complaint aside, I was charmed by this little story and think it would make a great companion to bath time (or laundry day)!

Cleaning with Kids: Sock Puppet Dusters

"Hello. I eat dust."

Forcing children to dust the baseboards is a time-honored tradition spanning generations in my family. In the hopes of raising it out of drudgery, we created sock puppet dusters this afternoon. I'm afraid E found making the puppet a lot more interesting than using the puppet, but regardless the base boards are now dust-free.

What you'll need:
- an old sock
- two buttons
- thread, needle, scissors
- yarn

1. Mold the sock around your child's hand to form the puppet. Remove while keeping that shape and sew a few stitches on the sides to help secure it.

2. If she/he is old enough, teach your child to sew on the buttons for eyes.

3. Wrap the yarn around your child's hand several times.

4. Tie off in the middle and snip the ends to create the hair. Sew the mop onto the top of the puppet.

5. Feed that puppet dust... lots and lots of dust!

Rhyming Dust Bunnies by Jan Thomas

I rarely recommend books I myself have not read, but I just couldn't resist this one. The illustrations look so cute and the story sounds perfect for toddlers, but Daggonit! I can't get my hands on a copy. It's not at the library or any of our local Barnes & Nobles, but it got rave reviews by parents on Amazon.

Three little dust bunnies love to rhyme, but the fourth dust bunny just doesn't seem to get it. When the first three list off rhyming words (far! jar! tar!) the fourth yells "look"! This continues throughout the book until the appearance of a vacuum cleaner and broom reveal what the fourth was carrying on about. The bright illustrations are sure to appeal to little ones while the text teaches simple rhymes. If you see this title around town, take a peek and let me know if it's as good as it looks!

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

Cleaning with Kids: Ode to Vinegar

Our theme this week is CLEANING! I know how it sounds, but I swear I'll make it fun. And to be honest, it's necessary. Our house is small, our possessions are many, and if the girls don't start pitching in more, Mommy will need to be put in a padded room.

I recently discovered this website which gives hundreds of uses for white vinegar. I'm sure you already know that white vinegar can be used to clean, but the website reveals just how miraculous a liquid it really is. One of the reasons I love using white vinegar is that - unlike most household cleaners - it's safe to use around kids.

The easiest cleaning activity for preschoolers is windows, mirrors, and plastic toys. I fill a spray bottle (plastic plant spray bottles give a great mist) with half white vinegar and half regular ol' tap water. Sometimes I'll also include a few drops of tea tree oil to cut the smell of the vinegar. Then I hand them the bottle and a couple washclothes. The plant spray bottle gives a mist too fine to drip, so they can spray to their hearts' content without causing any large puddles of water. White vinegar is cheap, so I'm not worried about wasting money and it's safe for them to handle. They literally beg me to clean their play kitchen or our glass doors, and I'm happy to let them help!


They also love cleaning their bath toys. I set them outside with their bath toy basket, washclothes, a towel, and a plastic wash bin with warm soapy water and a splash of vinegar. They'll spend an hour scrubbing the toys and laying them on the towel to dry.

They even devised a little assembly line where A pulled out the toys and handed them to E who washed and set out to dry. It turned into an alphabet lesson when they got to the foam ABCs!

Max Cleans Up (Max and Ruby) by Rosemary Wells

I love these books. E is every bit as bossy as Ruby, and A is just as mischievous (and adorable) as Max. In this adventure, Ruby insists that Max clean up his room. Ruby puts everything in its place, while Max puts his treasures (a year-old Easter egg, runaway ants, a melted popsicle) in his front pocket. The story is classic Max and Ruby, but the illustrations include some mixed media elements that heighten the interest of this particular book. It's a great little story to introduce the topic of cleaning up with your kids, and to remind yourself to keep some perspective while cleaning with preschoolers!

Hickory Dickory Clock

This easy craft is a great way to help your little mice tell time... especially if you, like us, have mostly digital clocks in your house.

What you'll need:
- various colors of scrapbook or construction paper
- glue
- a marker
- a brad (or the MacGyver backup - a pushpin and an eraser tip)


1. Cut out one large rectangle for the clock, two circles for the face, a long rectangle and small circle for the pendulum, two pointed rectangles for the clock hands, and a triangle for the mouse.

2. Let your child glue the pieces to a piece of paper to create the clock and add the climbing mouse. Embellish the mouse's features with a black marker.

3. Add the numbers on the clock face with a marker or paint pen and attach the hands with a brad. (Katie, I told you I never have the right supplies! We made do with a pushpin capped with an eraser tip.)

4. Let the rhyming (and learning) begin!

There are several really adorable Hickory Dickory Dock books available, some with manipulable clocks. If you're looking for a general nursery rhyme book, however, may I suggest...

Richard Scarry's Best Mother Goose Ever by Richard Scarry

This is one of those books I don't know if I love because it's so good or because it reminds me of my childhood. I adored this book as a kid and it's one of the first I bought for our own library. I remember spending hours flipping through its large, colorful pages of cats in mittens and pigs in trousers, reading the different nursery rhymes. I loved the way the words sounded, even if I had no clue what words like "dame," "contrary," and "soiled" meant. It's been a joy now to share these classic nursery rhymes with my little girls, who also love to flip through Richard Scarry's timeless illustrations.