A Human Handkerchief

This afternoon, as I was catching up with my friend Sylvia on the phone (she has a precious brand new baby girl named Audrey), Eva started screaming because she wanted some Annie's Homegrown Organic Cheddar Bunnies that she spotted on the countertop. I held my ground, for once, and didn't give them to her, as it was literally five minutes before dinnertime. She started crying and screaming, while Sylvia and I tried to speak over the commotion. Eventually, with some comforting, she calmed down, and while I was still on the phone, she came over and wiped her runny nose on the hem of my dress! Twice! I was stunned.
"She wiped her nose on my dress," I told Sylvia.
"Was it snotty?"
"Yes." By now I was laughing.
"Isn't motherhood glamorous?" she said.
It certainly is.

Toys Kids Actually Play With, Part II

This is a continuation of the list I started in yesterday's blog:
6. Stackers, assorted prices: I didn't know what else to call this category, but at our house, these include stacking pails in graduated sizes and a Melissa and Doug wooden stacker with three pegs that hold different shaped wooden rings. Eva never tires of taking all of the pieces off and putting them on again. The plastic pails aren't fancy - just a set of colorful numbered plastic pails that stack on top of each other. I don't know why kids love these so much, but they do. Ages 1-3
7. Fancy Pink Baby Grand Piano by Schoenhut: I got this because it is so darn cute, but every day, my girls bang out at least once concerto. They are, after all, musically gifted. :)) It's beautiful and educational and one of the highlights of our playroom. Both girls use it daily, and I like to think it's instilling a love of music in them. Another big it in the same vein: A wooden set of musical instruments that Lola got on her first birthday. It's got a tambourine and a drum and a harmonica and a xylophone and other assorted noisemakers, and there's not a day that goes by when both of the girls are not playing with these - often several times a day. All ages
8. Toy Cell Phones and Other Electronic Gadgets: Real cell phones, of course, are a sure kid-pleaser, but if you want yours to remains intact, get one of many plastic toy phones out there that beep, light up, and even speak to your child. We have several floating around the house and they are in almost constant use, and often the subject of some heated battles. Also popular: toy remote controls, IPods, etc... Ages 1-4
9. Play Kitchen: I purchased a retro pink kitchen set for Lola when she turned one and it is the focal point of the playroom. It looks sort of like the Pottery Barn one, but a little smaller since we had space issues, and it's by Kidcraft. It's such a hit with boys and girls alike. The girls love making and serving meals, tea, etc. from their kitchen, washing dishes, putting their plastic and wood food away, etc. Ages 18 mos and up...
10. Dress up clothes and shoes: Today, five girls conveged on our playroom - my daughters and their cousins, and they all crowded around the Guidecraft Dress Up Carousel. For the next hour, we hardly heard a peep as they lost themselves in mounds of dresses and capes, wings and wands and tiaras and plastic shoes, purses and beads and wraps. They traipsed down the hall, clip-clopping in their heels, and checked themselves out in the mirror. Ages 1 and up.

Toys Kids Actually Play With, Part I

I'm feeling a little altruistic this evening, so I decided to do a blog purely designed to save other mommies time and money. As the mother of two toddlers (both girls, though, I might add) I have become an unlikely expert on kids toys: what they play with, what they adore, and what they toss aside. My research has been informal, of course, based largely on watching my girls and their little friends (mostly girls, but some boys as well) and observing what they most like to play with. Here, part one of my list of the top ten things my girls like to play with, in no particular order:

1. Leap Frog Learn & Groove Musical Table, about $40: Yes, it's plastic, but there's nothing this toy can't do. My girls played with it endlessly, especially from the age of 1 to about 2 1/2. It features tons of songs (over 40), a few piano keys, and a billion other buttons, knobs, etc. The songs are not really annoying, which is a boon for moms. It starts out as a floor toy then becomes a table after they are standing. Other Learn & Groove toys that I recommend: The Counting Maracas and The Alphabet Drum. Best for 1-3 year olds.

2. Fisher Price Laugh and Learn Song and Story Learning Chair, about $41: When my 3-year-old received this for her 1st birthday, I didn't get it. Until she sat on it and wouldn't get up. It's a little chair with an attached table that features fun activities, from a lamp to turn on and off to music that starts playing when the child sits down. Now my 18 month old loves it, and the three year old still plays with it sometimes. Also highly recommended: Fisher Price Laugh and Learn Baby Grand Piano. Best for 1-3 year olds.

3. Fisher Price Laugh and Learn Learning Puppy, $23: I hesitate to recommend this because I frankly find it annoying, but my girls love it so much it needed to be on the list. This little buddy plays games, sings songs, and teaches ABCs, colors, body parts and more. My Eva knows exactly how many times to push his right paw to play "Head Shoulders Knees and Toes," her current favorite. Also recommended: Fisher Price Story Time Rhymes electronic book.

4. Play Silks, $7 each at atoygarden.com or 12 for $60: Okay, enough with the electronic toys for now. They're a necessary evil, but believe it or not, I'm all about low-tech toys, for the most part. I really wanted my girls to like these They're all about open-ended, imaginative play. These simple, 3 foot squares of silk are probably the most played with items in our home, for my girls and all their friends. With their little imaginations, they become forts, blankets, costumes, capes, doll carriers... The possibilities are endless. And they take up NO room in a suitcase, so they're perfect for traveling. An absolute must-have.

5. Haba Escalier Couleurs, $39.99 on oompa.com: Another one of those times when I really hoped my daughters would like something, and they actually did. This is essentially a peg board with five different colors in graduated heights. They teach colors, counting, arranging according to size (is this a skill?), etc. The girls love taking them all out and rearranging them, stacking them, etc. I bought it for my 3-year-old, but I'm surprised that my 1 1/2 year old likes it at least as much. It's one of her favorite toys.

Monkey Bar Buddies

Something to add to my "wish I'd invented it" file, an ingenious little invention called the Monkey Bar Buddy. It has long been the bane of my existence that, once toddlers hit the age of 2, most kids clothing manufacturers no longer include matching bloomers with dresses. Three year olds are not yet capable of modesty, and they need to have the freedom to run and play and hang upside down without giving it a second thought. I'm always mortified by the fact that my daughter flashes everyone whenever she plays, and it's not fair to tell her to cover up. Usually, I snag a plain cotton pair of bloomers and slip them on over her underwear, but they are all in smaller sizes now. I needed something that she could wear underneath her dresses, that wouldn't add bulk, and just give her that little extra bit of modesty. And I finally found them. Monkey Bar Buddies are little boy shorts made of a swimsuit-like material designed specifically for that purpose. They let little girls play without worrying about modesty. They fit snugly, just like bathing suit bottoms, and offer more coverage than underwear or traditional diaper covers, without showing under clothing. I found them at a local boutique called Tiny Toes, but I also spotted them online at Target. Lola has a pair in white and brown, and I plan to buy them in other colors. Love them. If they hadn't invented them, I would have! My only complaint? At $16, they're a little pricey, but I think they're worth every penny.

The Search for the Perfect Kids Stainless Water Bottle

Sippy cups are the bane of my existence. I can't stand assembling them, fiddling with all the tiny pieces in the dishwasher, keeping track of them... I can't stand that they leak, that the pieces go missing, that they eventually fall apart. And most of all, I can't stand how ugly they usually are. My sister has switched her girls to superchic, and ecofriendly, SIGG water bottles, and while my daughters also have a couple, they prefer straws to spouts, so I am in search of a girly, chic stainless water bottle with a straw. So far, this is one of the only ones I've been able to find. Cute, but not amazing:

1. Nathan Stainless Steel 24 oz. Flip Straw Bottle in "Love" design: link

2. Nathan Straw Bottle in Pink Ribbon Design: Adorable, but is the breast cancer motif inappropriate for a child. I also just realized how huge 24 oz is... link

3. Camelbak Better Bottle in Icons design: Cute, retro modern design, but I wish there was a pink version...link

4. FUNtainer Leak Proof Stainless Steel Bottle in Love Design: Love the colors and the halo, but is that a camo print...? link

5. Thermos Foogo Straw Bottle in Pink: Finally, pink, but it's so plain. We had one of these and lost it, and it worked really well, but I'd like something with more pizzazz. link

6. Thermos FUNtainer straw bottle in Princess: Cute, but does it say "punk." Wish I could see the whole thing. link

7. Contigo Autoseal kids mugs: Finally, a cup that is truly no spill... Too bad it doesn't have a straw. I might consider this later. link