Awesome Gifts for Expectant Parents

This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.  I am not otherwise compensated for my opinions. 

If you are anywhere in the 25-40 age range, chances are, you get invited to a fair number of baby showers.  For a while, it seemed like we had a wedding invitation for every weekend of the year, but now, those have definitely morphed into baby showers.

While my first advice is always to get something off the registry, (They picked it out.  They obviously need it and want it!) some people don't like using registries.  Or maybe you just want a more personal gift.  Or the store they registered at is not in your town and you don't have time to order online.  Whatever the case, here are some great ideas for baby gifts that I have either given or received and loved!

Nursing Survival Kit

One of my friends gave this to me, and we have given it to several others since then.  If you know the mom-to-be is planning on breastfeeding, put together a basket of things she might need.  You could include:

Nursing Cover, Nursing Pads, and Lanolin for the basic needs.

      

Energy bars, a cute water cup, and a small book to make mama smile.

          

Nursing tank and burp cloths to make nursing a little easier!

       

Of course, several of those would make great gifts by themselves, but put a couple of those in a cute basket and you have a really memorable and useful present!  This is a good one for a group or hostess gift, because the more you put in there, the cuter it will be!

Fleece Nose Wipes

This may seem like a weird gift, so let me explain.  When I was pregnant, my mom gave me a bunch of cute fleece squares she had cut out for me to use as cloth baby wipes.  However, once I had Cricket, it became very obvious that they were no good as baby wipes because they didn't absorb liquid well.

I had all these cute little fleece squares sitting around, never been used, and I quickly figured out that they worked great as nose wipes for tiny, sensitive noses!  They are way softer than tissues, you can use them several times, and even toddlers can use them without tearing a hole in them every time they wipe their nose!  Two years later, we are still using them!

So here's what you do.  Get some cute fleece, like these.

  

Cut them into six inch squares, tie a dozen up in a pretty ribbon and give them along with a note saying what they are for.  No need to sew because fleece doesn't fray.  Easy, cute, and unique!  It is a great thing to keep on hand for last minute gifts!

Little Remedies Box

My sister gave this to me when I was pregnant, and I am STILL using some of the stuff in it!  This is a collection of Little Remedies products for babies and young children, like gripe water, eucalyptus rub, saline nose spray, etc.  It's great, and any new parent will greatly appreciate it!

Books

Ok, y'all knew this was coming right?  No way am I not going to talk about books.  At my baby shower, my hostess put in the invitation a request for guests to sign their name in a board book instead of a greeting card.  They are the same price or even cheaper than a card, and they are way more useful!  Plus, it is so fun to read books to Cricket and get to tell her who gave each one to her.

One of Brian's long time family friends sent us Pat the Bunny when I was pregnant, along with a list of several dozen books that she recommended or that her children had loved growing up.  What a great idea!  I made notes of a bunch of them to get as soon as I could!

I love to give books, so often I will give several of my favorites as a way to start the child's library.  This one is always in the group.

  

Whether you give a stack or just one, you can never go wrong with books!

Name Bands for Sippy Cups

I don't know if y'all have seen these, but they are rubber bracelet-looking things that go around bottles and sippy cups to label them.  The idea is that they are washable, so you don't have to take them off, and they aren't adhesive, so you don't have a gooey mess after a couple of weeks.  There are several different kinds.  The original ones are actually debossed with your child's name.  (You could also add other information like allergy alerts, phone numbers, etc.)

    

Or you could get one of these that you just write on with a permanent marker.  Either way, these are a fun and unique but practical gift that any parent will appreciate.

   

House Cleaning

I don't have a link to this, because it's more of a local thing, but it's worth mentioning.  One of my favorite gifts for friends who are about to have a baby is to pay someone to come clean their house while they are in the hospital.  That way they come home to a sparkling house and no chores to worry about!  This would be a good hostess gift or group gift, as well.

A bonus to this is that if you have friends who clean houses as a job, you are helping them out as well!  If you don't know anyone who cleans houses, you can ask your friends on Facebook for local recommendations or hire a professional service, although that will obviously be more costly.  Just make sure that this is something the expecting parents will enjoy or someone they know, since some people are hesitant to let strangers in their house for obvious reasons.  When in doubt, ask ahead of time on this one.

Closet Organizers and Hangers

This is my go-to gift right now.  I stumbled upon the realization that Amazon has literally dozens of designer closet organizers.  This is awesome because you can find some to match just about any nursery theme!  (I have been known to stalk pictures on Facebook to figure out which colors and designs will match!)  They are a decent price, too!

Closet organizers are super handy because you always end up with clothes in four or five different sizes, and this helps you keep them organized so you don't end up finding an outfit that your baby never got to wear because you didn't realize it was his size four months ago!

      

Pair them with some matching baby hangers and you have a sweet and thoughtful gift that they won't want to return!

 

I hope this gives you some good ideas for baby gifts!  What about you?  What are your favorite go-to gifts for baby showers?

Choosing an Awesome Storybook Bible

This post contains affiliate links.  I am not otherwise compensated for my opinions.

I over-think things.  I know this.

Sometimes it is exhausting.  I can't choose a product without doing hours of reading and comparisons and evaluations.  Sometimes I wish that one time I could just not care.  Just one time, I could grab something and go with it.

This is not that time.

I decided that it would be great to get a storybook Bible for Cricket's Easter basket.  What follows is the criteria I developed for comparing them and choosing the one I felt would be best for Cricket and for our family.  It might not be the best for you, and I'm not bashing other books.  Just take this as one person's opinion.

1)  What is a storybook Bible?

Unlike a Bible translation, a storybook Bible (also called Bible storybooks, story Bibles, or some other combination of those words) is not a literal or even paraphrased translation of the Bible.  It is a retelling of a selection of stories from the Bible intended to be more accessible to young children.  They are usually designed to be read to a child, although there are a few that are simple enough for a beginner to read himself.  Storybook Bibles are usually illustrated and many times include discussion questions, suggested responses, or even activities to go along with the stories.

2)  Why use a storybook Bible?

Well, honestly, after everything I have looked at lately, I have to say that it might be easier to just read straight from the Bible.  I mean, most of us grew up being read to from an actual Bible.  It's not like it's impossible for kids to understand.  I'm not saying story Bibles are a necessity; however, they are nice because they help children to get engaged with the Bible in a more accessible way.  The pictures help hold their attention and the language is geared towards their level of understanding.

3)  Which one to choose?

Oh my goodness.  Little did I know what I was getting into when I started this.  I looked at maybe ten or twelve different story Bibles, and that wasn't even all of them!  When I was growing up, I think there may have been one or two available.  Now, there's an entire aisle of them at the Christian bookstores!

So I came up with a criteria to help me compare them.  These may not be the things you look for in a story Bible, but this is what was important to me.

• Theological Accuracy

Does it accurately depict the main themes of the Gospel, such as sin, redemption, God's love, etc.?  Does it tell the stories accurately or does it embellish or reduce them to the point where the main point is lost?  I get so annoyed when I have to rewrite Cricket's books as I read them to her because they are saying things that just aren't true.  For example, saying that a dove came and rested on Jesus at his baptism is not theologically accurate.  It was the Holy Spirit, and to simplify it to just a dove removes the power of that first look at the Trinity.

• Historical Accuracy

There are many "facts" that we learn as children about the Bible that we later have to unlearn.  Did the wise men come to the stable the same night as the shepherds?  Were there really three wise men?  Was Daniel a little boy when he was thrown into the lion's den?  Was the ark so tiny that the giraffe had to stick his neck out the top window to fit?  Was it a whale that swallowed Jonah?

I know these may seem like small, insignificant details in the grand scheme of things, but I just have a thing about telling the truth.  In fact, if you did a poll of all of those questions to people on the street or even people in your church, I bet you would find that there is still confusion about the answers, even though the they are right there in the Bible.  The truth is important.  We don't want our fanciful interpretations to cause someone to stumble (making the story of the flood seem unbelievable by not showing how large the ark really was, for example).  And why teach things to children that we will have to unteach later?

• Complete Stories

Does it tell the story of the Bible in some kind of chronological order?  Do they tell parts of the stories, or the whole thing?  Does the story of Jonah stop after the fish?  Does the story of Daniel go beyond just the lion's den?  Does it show David as king, or just when he fought Goliath?  I grew up learning the Bible in such tiny pieces that I was in eighth grade before I realized that the Jacob from the story of Jacob and Esau was the same Jacob who had 12 sons!  If we want our kids to really get the  message of the Bible, we need to make sure we present it as the complete story it is.

• Realistic Artwork

Since most storybook Bibles are illustrated with cartoon-like pictures, I'm not necessarily talking about lifelike artwork.  What I looked for was artwork that makes the Bible look like it could have really happened, versus artwork that makes it look like fairy tales.  Also, "European Jesus" pictures are a huge pet peeve of mine, so I wanted something that at least made an effort for ethnic accuracy.

• A Non-Legalistic Message

So many children's books treat the Bible like a collection of Aesop's Fables that can be pulled out at random to teach a lesson about what we should or shouldn't do.  I looked for a story Bible that pointed to the Gospel and to Christ, not to legalism.  (Yes, the Bible does tell us things to do and not do, but that response comes from a loving relationship with Him, not a list of do's and don't's.)  

A good way to measure this is to look at how they treat the story of Noah.  What is the "point" of the story?  I have seen everything from "Noah worked hard, and so should we," to "We shouldn't make fun of people like the men made fun of Noah."  Neither of these are the emphasis of the Biblical account of Noah, and they set a dangerous precedent.  Also, those kind of interpretations make everything in the Bible about "me" instead of about God's work throughout history.

(Fun fact: Nowhere in the Bible does it say that anyone made fun of Noah or mocked him for building the ark.  Neither does it say that they beat on the outside of the ark when it started to flood.  Those are the kind of extra things that are often added to children's Bible stories, and we grow up believing them to be in the Bible.  I believed both of those things were in the Bible until I was an adult.)

• Minimal Censoring

I do understand that the Bible is full of crazy, weird, and sometimes gruesome things that children may not be ready for at the ripe age of two.  However, I think we do a disservice to children by censoring the Bible to the point where we leave out the basic themes of sin, judgement, and even death.  We have no problem introducing concepts of evil, death, and punishment in Disney movies, (see The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Princess and the Frog, and Sleeping Beauty for some pretty scary examples of evil and the bad guy getting his/her punishment) but we balk at telling them that God punishes sin.  We permit them to hear about violence in fairy tales, but we suddenly have a problem with it in the Bible.  (Wolves eating children whole and witches baking children in ovens are ok, but we can't tell them that David cut Goliath's head off?)

To gauge this in the story Bibles, I looked at the stories of The Fall and of Noah.  Do they gloss over God's judgement of sin in the world?  I also looked for inclusion of other more difficult stories, like Abraham sacrificing Isaac.

• Beyond the Basics

Does it include just the basic Bible stories that are considered "appropriate" for children, like Daniel and the Lion's Den, Noah and the Ark, David and Goliath, etc?  Or does it pull in some less well-known stories like David and Jonathan, Nehemiah rebuilding the temple, or Jesus being tempted?  Those are not necessarily the specific ones I was looking for, but I just like to see it go into more detail than the classic Sunday School stories.

• Reading Level

If you look at what's available, you find that you could easily buy a new storybook Bible every year to meet your child's ever-changing needs.  They have the baby Bible, the toddler Bible, the kindergarten Bibles, the elementary Bibles, etc.  Honestly, I can't afford to buy a new one every year, and I think it's kind of silly/wasteful.  I want one that we can use for years to come that will continue to hold a child's attention and teach new things as he or she matures.

See?  I told you I over-think things.

4)  I Found an Awesome Storybook Bible!

As I said before, I went through almost a dozen different storybook Bibles, and I found one that I just love.  It's called The Big Picture Interactive Bible Storybook.

The Big Picture Interactive Bible Storybook,
Click the picture or link to look through samples from the book or to purchase from Amazon.
Also, if you purchase the book through Amazon, you can get the Kindle edition free!

Note:  There is another story Bible with the name "Big Picture" in it, but it is not at all the same.

This book is brand new, and it has got to be one of the coolest Bible storybooks on the market.  It passed my criteria with flying colors!

• Theology:  The text is basically the Holman Bible translation, modified slightly for a younger audience.  There is virtually no editorializing, embellishments, or additions.  There is very little censoring at all in this Bible, other than for space.  There is no hesitation in discussing sin and judgement, or God's love and redemption.

• History:  You guys, the historical accuracy in this Bible is maybe the best I've seen in a children's Bible, especially in the pictures.  Jesus is a little boy when the (two!) wise men come to see him at his house.  Daniel is an older man with a grey beard in the lion's den.  Jesus' scars are even in the right place (wrists instead of hands) when he appears to the disciples after the resurrection!  I could go on and on because I was so impressed with the attention to detail in the art.  Since the texts are basically straight Scripture, of course they are very accurate as well.

• Completion:  I love how MUCH of the Bible they get into this book!  They tell the story of Jonah right to the end.  They tell not just David and Goliath, but also God's covenant with David, David and Jonathan, and  David's sin and redemption. 

• Illustrations:  The artwork is cartoons, which is fine, but it is realistic (the ark is really big) and ethnically accurate (Romans look Roman and Jews look Jewish).  Jesus even wears different clothes in different pictures!  Imagine that!  As I mentioned above, the artists really focused on making the pictures as true to the actual Biblical accounts as possible, while still making them fun and interesting for children.

• Message:  The introduction of this story Bible specifically says that the message of the Bible is "Be saved," not "Be good."  There is a tie-in to the Gospel and Christ at the end of every story, showing God's "Big Picture" (get it?).  There is no legalistic cherry-picking of morality tales.  The focus is on God's love, man's sin, and the redemptive work of Jesus.

• Censoring:  I can't even tell you how minimal the censoring is.  I was surprised but pleased to see even stories like Barak and Deborah left in there.  (You know, the one where the girl puts a tent peg through the guy's head?)  They were not shy about the good, the bad, and the ugly in the Bible, but they did make sure it wasn't overly gory.  

• Variety:  Like I said up there, I was thrilled at how much of the Bible they got into this book, considering it is a storybook Bible.  They have almost every Old Testament book covered by at least one story, and in the New Testament, they even cover some of the epistles and the early church!

• Level:  The reading level is geared primarily towards early elementary, so it will be usable for a long time.  She will enjoy the pictures and the basic ideas of the stories now, and as she gets older, she will benefit from the application and deeper messages as well.

• As it says in the title, there is also an interactive element to this Bible.  You can scan the pictures and special codes throughout the book, and it will animate the stories and give additional features.  I don't have an iPhone, so I can't speak to how awesome it might be, but it has gotten pretty good reviews.  I hope to eventually be able to use this feature whenever we get around to joining the 21st Century.

Again, I realize that there are lots of Bible storybooks out there, and I am not saying that they aren't valuable.  I am just sharing my thoughts on this one because it was exactly what I was looking for.

I am so excited to start reading this with Cricket!  I know we will all enjoy going through this storybook Bible together, and I can't wait to see how much she learns from it!  

Things that are Awesome: Young Toddler Edition

(This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.)

We are definitely in the "young toddler" phase right now.  Everything has to be done "Self!" but she is very clingy and wants me to watch her do everything and pick her up pretty frequently.  She is fascinated by lights and music and textures, but her attention span is still pretty short unless I'm right there with her to keep her engaged.  She asks for something and then immediately bursts into tears when I hand it to her.

It's crazy times.

Here are some products that are on the awesome list right now at my house.  They keep her attention, they encourage learning, or she just loves them.  I included affiliate links, but I am not otherwise compensated for these recommendations.  These are just things that I use and love.

Butterflies Dolls

Cricket's Grandma introduced me to these dolls, and they are awesome.  They are made in the spirit of an old timey rag doll, so they are soft.  No plastic faces to bang your kids in the head.  They have soft yarn hair and sweet clothes that you can take off (but they don't come off easily, so you don't have a mysteriously naked doll lying around.)

I love these dolls.  They are everything a doll should be, and nothing it shouldn't.  They don't talk, laugh, poop, walk, feed themselves, or do calculus.  They don't have an online "avatar" you can use play games with.  They aren't a hundred bucks a piece, like some other dolls.  They're not overly sexualized and they don't have unrealistic body types.  They are just a sweet, soft, cuddly doll.

Cricket loves them, too.  We have two of them, and she absolutely has to take one with her wherever we go.

The downside is, the only place you can buy these is at Cracker Barrel, so I don't have a link to give you, other that that press release.  Still, it's totally worth a drive to your local Cracker Barrel to pick one up.  Shoot, get two!  At $20 a piece, they're a steal!

Poke a Dot Book

This is such a cool book!  It's a big board book, and it has these plastic bubbles in the pages, and when you poke them, the turn inside out and make a "pop" sound!  Then you turn the page and poke it again to make it pop back! Basically, it's like a book that contains reusable bubble wrap.

Yeah.  Mind blowing.

Cricket things this is the most fun thing since they invented the swing.  Best of all, it's a counting book, using the song about the monkeys jumping on the bed, so we pop the buttons and practice our counting at the same time!

There are apparently a couple of other books in this series, so I'm putting those on the wishlist for sure.

Plan Toys

    

Cricket's Aunt Mallary got her these two, and I don't know who loves them more, me or her.  First of all, they are the most well-made toys ever.  They are made with no chemicals, and they use organic wood, soy-based inks, non-toxic glues, and a whole bunch of other awesome kid-friendly stuff.  The company uses sustainable manufacturing practices, which makes moms happy, too.

But the best part is the toys themselves.  They are fun and open-ended, and they are so dang cute, you'll want to play with them, too!  The flower toy has a little seed you plant in the pot, and little tiny garden sheers!  The veggies have Velcro to hold the two sides together so you can "cut" them with the little wooden knife!  Precious!

These are toys that grow with kids, and as an educator, I see lots of potential in them for learning as she gets older.

Melissa and Doug Puzzles

These might be the most-used items in Cricket's room, especially the alphabet puzzle.  They are bright colors, and the pieces have pegs, so they are easy for tiny hands to hold onto.  They have pictures underneath the pieces, too, for bonus teaching and fun!  I get so excited watching Cricket do these puzzles, knowing she is learning vocabulary, beginning literacy awareness, and practicing spacial skills all at the same time!  And she just thinks she is having a blast!

Fisher Price Laugh and Learn Tea Set

Cricket's Gigi got this for her recently, and she just ADORES it.  I don't usually go in for super girly, overly pink things, so I wouldn't necessarily have picked it out for her, but it's great.  It has three settings, one of which helps teach kids to say please and thank you, which is a kind of unique thing for a toy.  I mean, lots of toys teach ABC's or like, colors, but manners?  That's cool.  Another setting plays music, but Cricket's favorite setting is the one that just makes the sounds of pouring water when she tips it over.  It's cute.

The set also comes with a plate and some little cookies that teach shape recognition and sorting, as an added bonus.

Fisher Price Nativity

You guys, I have been waiting and waiting to get this!  I saw it last Christmas but decided to hold off on it until Cricket was a little older, but now I got it!  It's just awesome.  It's a ton of figures, and they really thought of all the details.  And the star lights up and plays, "Away in a Manger."

I will say though, the link above doesn't have the full set.  As far as I know, you can only get the full set, with the shepherds and everything, at Walmart.  Last year they were in the stores, but this year I had to order mine online.  Otherwise, you have to order the basic set and then order the shepherds separately, which is crazy expensive.  Why would they not just put that all together?

But still, it's awesome.  My sister and I played with our (porcelain) nativity set every year when we were kids, and if we'd had one that was specifically built for us, it would have been our favorite toy.

Mr. (and Mrs.) Potato Head

Cricket's Aunt and Uncle introduced her to this classic when we were in Portland.  She studied it carefully and figured out how to put the pieces in the holes on her own, which she was very proud of.  She loves putting the pieces in and out of the little trap door, too.  There are tons of sets, in basically any theme you can imagine, so you are sure to find something that will make you smile as well.  (Darth Tater, anyone?)

So those are the most popular toys in our world right now.  If you have a toddler, or friends or family with a toddler, any of these would make great Christmas gifts!  Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some playing to do...

For more awesome gift ideas for young children, check out these other posts:

Awesome Music for Babies and Toddlers

Awesome Books for Babies and Toddlers

Things that are Awesome:  Summer Baby Edition

Awesome Books for Babies and Toddlers

I did a post a while back about great books to read aloud, and I wanted to follow that up with a list of books that Cricket has really loved.  Most of them are board books because she can easily and safely turn the pages, and because I love the idea of her having access to books any time she wants.

Sandra Boynton Books

If you haven't heard of Sandra Boynton yet, you need to go find one of her books immediately.  They have adorable pictures and funny lines that will make even the adults in the room giggle.  Our favorites are Moo, Baa, Lalala, which teaches animal sounds; Happy Hippo, Angry Duck, which does a great job of introducing emotions; Snuggle Puppy, a fun and silly baby love song; and Pajama Time, great for singing when they're getting ready for bed.  There are tons of other great ones, too.

Mini Masters Series

These are one of my favorite baby finds ever.  They are board books that use paintings from the masters for pictures, along with cute rhymes that tie them together.  My sister got me started on these by giving Cricket Dancing with Degas, which she loves.  I have since gotten A Picnic with Monet and In the Garden with Van Gough, both of which are also awesome.  They're not expensive, and what a great way to introduce great art to children at a young age!

Baby Faces

I think all babies toddlers go through a phase when they just absolutely love pictures, especially of other babies.  I don't really know why, but maybe they just feel like they can relate.  We got this book through the Reach out and Read Program at our pediatrician's office.

I have to stop a minute and tell you about this program.  It is so great.  It's a non profit organization that provides books to children through their pediatricians.  Every time we go for a well visit, Cricket gets a new book that is geared exactly for her age.  These books always end up becoming the new favorites.  The program also works with doctors to incorporate advice on reading together as a family into your check ups, which as a teacher I love because reading to your children when they are young is the single greatest advantage you can give them academically.  No amount of Baby Einstein videos or V-Tech toys have been directly linked to later academic achievement like daily reading to your child.  I love that my pediatrician considers this as important as other aspects of healthy child development.

Ok, tiny rant there.  Anyway, books with real pictures of babies are awesome, and Cricket loves them.

Pride and Prejudice

I am totally in love with this book, and the whole Cozy Classics series.  First of all, the pictures are photographs of elaborately constructed scenes using needle-felted characters.  Needle felting!  How cool is that!?  And they look amazing!  Each picture is accompanied by a single word, and yet somehow, the basic story is totally in there!  The great part about just having one word on each page is that Cricket pretty much has it memorized by now, and it gives a lot of freedom for us to talk about the pictures as she points out different things.  They have a whole series of these, and I'd love to get some more.  They even have Emma coming soon!

Dr. Seuss Board Books

You can't talk about kids' books without talking about Dr. Seuss!  A lot of his regular books have been adapted to the shorter, more sturdy "Bright and Early Board Book" series.  Cricket's favorite is Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb, which reads like a chant and is very fun, until you get to the end and are reminded creepily of Planet of the Apes.  She also loves The Foot Book and The Eye Book, which are not my favorite 'cause I feel like he pretty much just rhymed random words, but whatever.  She likes them.

My First Picture Album

 

Cricket's Grandma got this book for her for Christmas, and it is just the best thing ever.  It's a soft fabric book with clear plastic pockets that you can put pictures in.  The pictures are protected and she gets to look at them as much as she wants, which is great, because like I said, she is obsessed with pictures and would read my Shutterfly albums all day if I let her!

One of the coolest things about this book is that you can change out the pictures whenever you want to, and it's like a completely different book!  I actually want to get a couple more of this style book so I can make one book of her friends and one of the rest of the family I couldn't fit into the first one!


I'm sure there are lots of other books that Cricket is into right now.  It seems like she's always got a book in her hand!  What books do your little ones love right now?

An Awesome Mad Lib for Every DIY Project Ever

This is my 100th post!  Yay me!

To celebrate, I thought I'd do something fun and different, so here is a mad lib for your reading pleasure.

How to Be Awesome at DIY (Verb ending in -ing)

First, it is important that you get organized, so you'll need to assemble all your (plural household item) and get a few (plural unusual and more expensive nouns) from (favorite store).

Second, you need to prepare your work space.  Clean out your (room of the house) with plenty of area to set up your (noun).  This space now belongs to (same verb ending in -ing) so you will not be able to use it for regular (activities) again for a while.  Adjust life accordingly.

Now you are ready to begin.  Start by taking your (household item) and breaking it.  This is a crucial step.  If something doesn't break during your project, it didn't really happen.  Also, make sure that you lose at least one (noun) and that another (profane adjective) (noun) for some reason does not function as it should.  Since you don't have a (obscure noun), which is crucial to success, you will have to make do by using a (completely unrelated noun) and rigging it so it will (verb).  This will most likely result in an injury to your (body part).  Have first aid available.

At this point you will need to stop and chose one of the following:

1. (Maternal verb) a crying baby.
2. Answer your (technology).
3. Take your toddler out of the (household storage area).
4. Let the (animal) out and then back in.
5. Cook (meal).
6. Pick up (family member) from (location).
7. Go buy more (small but important craft object).
8. Clean (substance) off the (part of house).
9. Watch (TV show involving crime).
10. Throw the (noun) across the room in (emotion).

After you have regained your (state of mind), you are now ready to finish your project.  Make sure to check Pinterest (number) times to ensure that you are doing it (adverb).  Right around now, you should be realizing that you totally skipped step (number), and you will have to redo your (deity)-forsaken project.  You might think about giving up, but remember, with all the money you save by doing it yourself, you will be able to afford (Choose one:  anger management/ /therapy/ /burn treatments/ /supplies for the next project).

When you have finished, take lots of pictures and put them on (social media network) so that everyone will know how (adjective) you are.  Enjoy the fruits of your labor in your (room of the house) or better yet, give it as a gift for (holiday).

Bonus (nouns) if you brag about it on your blog!

I would love it if you posted your completed stories in the comments.  I may even let the person or persons with the most hilarious stories pick a future blog topic as a reward.

Have a (adjective) day.

Awesome Music for Kids

Cricket loves music.  Every morning, after breakfast, she walks into the living room, finds the remotes, hands them to me and says, "Do do do?" while shaking her tiny baby hips.

D'aww.

Anyway, I love music too, but a lot of music designed for kids is mind-numbingly terrible, and I believe that quality is more important than quantity when it comes to the arts in general.  I'm on a never-ending quest to find good music that she enjoys and that won't make me lose my ever-loving mind.  Here are some options I've enjoyed so far.

(This post contains affiliate links, and I receive a small percentage of any sales at no extra cost to you.  I am not otherwise compensated for my recommendations.  These are my opinions alone.)

Putumayo Kids: World Playground

I saw this CD at Whole Foods, and it caught my eye every time I walked past it, so I finally got it.  I'm so glad I did!

It has songs from all over the world (except, oddly, Asia) sung by actual musicians instead of being scream-sung by semi-tone deaf kids like most children's music.  It uses indigenous instruments and different languages, and Cricket LOVES it!  I love it too, because even though we listen to it over and over in the car, it's not super annoying!

Scripture Rock

I've had this one since I was doing puppet team in high school, and it's still fantastic.

All the songs are straight Bible verses, set to catchy tunes and sung by adults, sometimes with kids in the background.  Again, this is a CD I can listen to over and over and not get sick of it.  Plus, I like the idea of Cricket being exposed to all different kinds of music, and not just lullabies and acoustic guitar.

Sing-Alongs and Lullabies for the Film Curious George

This one has been around awhile, but it's great.

The songs are cute and most of them are upbeat, and of course, listening to Jack Johnson makes you feel like you're around a campfire on the beach at twilight, so these are good for times when you need to relax.

Crazy Praize

Spelling errors notwithstanding, this is a great CD.

I used this one in my classroom for six years, in two different children's churches, and I still love it.  This is actually "Volume 2" and I've never heard Volume 1, but I bet it's good too.  This one is sung by kids and adults, and the songs are upbeat, entertaining, and just plain fun!

Songs in French for Children

A sweet friend gave this to Cricket when she was born.  It's great.

I actually have several French kids' CD's from my time teaching French at school, but I particularly love this one.  It's got all the classic French kids' songs like Alouette and Sur le Pont D'Avignon, but it has a bunch more that I hadn't heard before, which is fun.  It is sung by kids, but in French, that doesn't seem to bother me.  There are also a ton of songs on this CD, so it plays forever, which is nice!

Lullaby

We don't use this one as much as we used to.  For a while when Cricket was little, it was like a magic sleeping aide that caused her to fall instantly into a deep slumber.  Now, she sleeps just fine on her own, but it's still a great CD.

I will give you a warning though:  this is such a soothing, peaceful CD that there is a good chance it will put YOU to sleep if you're too close to it, or if, for example, you can hear it through the baby monitor.  Yup.

Pandora Stations

We also love to listen to Pandora Radio.  We have a Roku player, so we can play Pandora on our living room TV, which is a great central location.  Plus, we get WAY fewer commercials on the Roku than when we listen to Pandora on the computer.  They have TONS of great kids' stations.

• Pampers Baby Lullabies
• This has been one of my favorite kids' stations since Cricket was a baby.  It plays a great mix of kids' songs like Elizabeth Mitchell's "You are My Sunshine" and everything Ravi has ever written, but it also plays kid-friendly "grown-up" music like Bob Marley's "Three Little Birds" and "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" by Iz (which I'm pretty sure Pandora is contractually required to include on every station for children).
• Rockabye Baby!
• I was so excited to find out this was a station!  I've wanted to get these CD's that have acoustic versions of adult songs for a long time, but I could never justify spending the money.  Now, I don't have to!  We can listen to lullaby versions of Pearl Jam, Metallica, and Journey 'till our heart's content!
• The Muppets (Children)
• It's Muppets.  Need I say more?  (They also have a Sesame Street station if you want to get more specific.)
• Ziggy Marley (Children's)
• Cricket loves Calypso/Reggae music, and for a while I had a Reggae station that I would play for her, but I always ended up turning it off because the cover art on the TV was explicit or the lyrics were just not something I was comfortable with.  This station, on the other hand, is island music specifically geared for children.  Win-win!
• Putumayo Kids Radio
• Remember that CD at the top up there?  The World Playground one?  Well, they have a whole series of those, and their own radio station!  It doesn't just play their stuff, though, which kind of disappointed me.  I usually end up having to turn off this station when it tries to play music that makes my ears bleed Dora.
• Schoolhouse Rock
• This is my favorite station right now.  They play Schoolhouse Rock songs, of course, and they play a great mix of kids songs sung by bands we used to listen to in high school, Disney songs, and regular kid-type stuff. 

Of course, there are lots of non-kid specific stations and CD's that we love, too.  (Try the Ashley MacIsaac Pandora station if you like crazy awesome bagpipes and fiddles.)  But this is a good list.  It would take you a while to get tired of all of these.  I know I'm still enjoying them!


By the way, did you catch that up there?  Bands we used to listen to in high school are now doing kids' songs.  On one hand, I am pretty sure this is a sign that I am old.  On the other hand, that is really awesome news, which is also probably a sign that I am old.  But seriously, it was kinda neat when Jewel did her album, but now They Might Be Giants has like, four albums out, and they're all smart, funny, and catchy.  Barenaked Ladies, the most unfortunately named really good band, has a kids' album out called Snacktime, and it's really great!  They play a lot of these CD's on that Schoolhouse Rock station, which is another reason I love it.

Oh, and the lead singer from Presidents of the United States of America?  (You know.  The band that sang "Peaches.")  Yeah, he now goes by the name "Caspar Babypants" and is a full-fledged kids' musician.

Check out this CD.

This album is Schoolhouse Rock songs covered by famous bands like Better Than Ezra, Blind Melon, Moby, and Lemonheads.

We are officially adults, my friends.

Things That are Awesome: Summer Baby Edition

Cricket is 15 months right now, and she just loves to be outside!  Here is a wrap-up of some of my favorite summer outdoor gear for babies and toddlers.  Any time I find myself thinking, "This thing is worth every cent!" I make a note to add it to this list!

I am an Amazon affiliate, and receive a small percentage of sales made through my site at no cost to you.  I am not otherwise compensated for my opinions.  These are all things I have used personally and enjoyed.

Fisher Price Baby Swing

Cricket loves swinging, so when I saw this swing at Aldi on sale, I snatched it up.

I absolutely love having it in our backyard.  It's hanging from a really high tree branch, which means it's always shady underneath.  Unlike the park, which has no shade whatsoever, now I can push her on the swing without getting a sunburn!

Bubble Gun

This was a purchase for my sake, not hers.  Cricket loves bubbles, like all little babies do, but I do not.  I mean, bubbles in and of themselves are cool, but if you are the one making the bubbles, your hands are all covered in soap, you're hyperventilating, and you have to stand up the whole time.

Not anymore!

Now I can satisfy Cricket's insatiable love for bubbles while still getting my lazy on.  I just squeeze the handle and a never ending stream of perfect bubbles comes out!  I will say that it is a little temperamental and doesn't always work as well as it should, but even still, this has been a sanity saver for me!

Swimways Baby Float

This thing is awesome!  It is perfect for older babies who can sit up just fine, but aren't big enough for floaties and the like.  It's a perfect little seat that they can lean back or forwards in if they want.  There is a mesh ring in the middle so they can splash in the water.  And best of all, there is a shade that clips on to protect them from the sun!  The shade can even attach to the back or the front if you need to move it.  Here's a picture of Cricket enjoying hers.

She loves it!  Totally chillaxin'.

Water Table

My mom got this for Cricket, and it is her favorite outdoor toy now.  It has really helped her strengthen her legs, too.  She has been reluctant to do a lot of walking until now, but she will stand at this table for an hour or more!  It is the perfect height for cruisers, and it comes with some cute toys.  I added some small cups, which she loves to use to dump water all over herself, of course.  At first, I would change her into her swimsuit to play with it, but it actually is less trouble just to let her stay in her play clothes and then change her when we're finished.

I highly recommend this for ages 1 yr. and up.  There are also tons of suggestions on Pinterest for other things you can do with water tables besides just put water in it, like using it for finger painting, sand, rice, small world play, etc.

Waterproof Travel Blanket

One of my friends gave me a blanket like this several years ago, and it has been just the best thing to have!  We keep it in the car so we always have it for picnics, zoo trips, Renaissance faires, or any other time we might need to sit on the ground.  It folds up into a compact little purse-like thing with a strap, making it super easy to cary, and it's water proof, so it's easier to clean and you don't have to worry about the ground being wet.  That's especially nice here in Alabama where it rains almost every day of the summer.

Although this one isn't specifically for kids, it sure is awesome to have, especially if you do have kids.  There are so many times we have used ours!

So, what outdoor gear do you just love?  I'd love to hear your recommendations, too!

Awesome Read Aloud Books for Kids (And Adults)

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I love books.  I love to read and I love to be read to.  I love books on tape.  I love all things book-related.

My mom read to us when we were kids, and we loved it.  I taught elementary school for six years before becoming a SAHM, and one of my favorite times of day was after lunch, when we'd come back into the classroom, leave the lights off, the kids would put their heads on their desks, and I would read aloud to them.  Kids love to be read to, and adults do, too!

Early in our marriage, Brian and I started reading together.  It's a great way to end the day, it makes for great conversations, provides common ground for discussions, and it's a lot of fun.  Usually we read at night, but we've read on trains and boats, on vacations, on camping trips, and just about every other place we've been.  We almost always take a book with us.

Of course, you don't have to read out loud to enjoy a book.  You can just read it yourself, or check out an audiobook at the library.  I love getting a book on CD and playing it in the car.  We live kind of far away from everything, so it's nice to have something to look forward to when you know you have a long drive ahead.

Here are some recommendations for books that are great to read aloud.  Most of these would be great family read alouds because they appeal to a wide variety of ages, but of course, use your own discretion when deciding what is best for your family.

Books I Have Read to My Classes

(Brian and I have also read several of these together.  Good literature and fun books aren't always in the adult section.)

My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett

Running Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume

How to Be Cool in Third Grade by Betsy Duffey

Frindle by Andrew Clement

The Wayside School Series by Louis Sachar

Holes by Louis Sachar

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever  by Barbara Robinson

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

A Little Princess by Francis Hodgson Burnett
(I only read them an excerpt from this one.  It's very long.)

If you are interested in purchasing any of these books, here are the links.  I am an Amazon affiliate, so I do receive a small percentage of the sales of anything sold through my site, but I am not otherwise compensated for endorsing these products.  I just like them.

Books Brian and I Have Read Together

(Not all of these books will appeal to young children.  Use your discretion.)

Anything by Terry Pratchett
(He is my all-time favorite author.  Just start at the beginning.  You won't stop until you've gotten through all of them!  They are an awesome mix of fantasy, satire, fiction, and comedy.)

Sherlock Holmes Series (short stories and novels) by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
(This was one of the first things we read together.  The short stories are especially fun and suspenseful!)

The Silmarillion,
The Hobbit,
and The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkein
(We had both read these separately, but it was fun to read them through together and talk about them.  We even drew maps and made models to reenact the battles on occasion.)

Robin Hood  by Roger Lancelyn Green
(This is one of our all-time favorites.  It is our traditional book to take camping.  We've read it through several times together, and it never gets old.  Also, there are several versions of Robin Hood written by several different authors.  This guy is our favorite.)

The Six Wives of Henry VIII
and The Life of Elizabeth I by Allison Weir
(Our running joke is that Brian has actually read each of these at least twice, because I would often fall asleep while he was reading and he would have to go back and reread each passage.  They are great books to read before bed, because they are just interesting enough to keep you reading, but not so much that they keep you awake.  They're probably a little dry for kids, but if you're a history buff, they're fascinating.)

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
(This is of course a classic, but be warned that there is some really rough language in it.  Brian substituted less offensive words as he read because we just couldn't stand hearing it over and over.  Not one for the young kids.)

Beowulf
(I don't even remember why we read this, but it was cool.  I think we had just watched a movie version.)

The Iliad 
and The Odyssey by Homer
(We went through these after reading the Percy Jackson series.  It was fun to go back to the original stories.)

Redwall by Brian Jacques
(This is the first book in a very long series, so if you like it, there are lots where that came from.  Kids especially would enjoy it.)

The Song of Albion Trilogy by Stephen Lawhead
(If you're into Celtic legends and fantasy novels, this one is amazing.  If I remember, there is some language, and it's not really written for kids, but for adults it's a lot of fun.

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
(This might be our favorite book that we have ever read aloud.  It is a bajillion pages long, which is awesome because since it's a great book, you have the comfort of knowing it's not going to be over soon.  We loved this book so much we would read it in the middle of the day instead of watching TV.)

The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
(Full of swashbuckling excitement!  The awesome thing about this one was, after we read it, we watched like, five different movie versions of it, and compared them all with the book.)

The Space Trilogy by C.S. Lewis
(We didn't actually finish this one because I got too depressed in the middle of the second book.  I was pregnant.  Give me a break.  But it is an interesting concept, and if you like sci-fi and Lewis' other books, you would probably enjoy it.)

The Sword of Shannara (and the rest of the series) by Terry Brooks
(Another fun fantasy series.  We had read them all separately, but we went back and reread the first one together.)

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
(Again, it was fun to watch the movie versions afterwards and compare them.  We found to our surprise that the Kiera Knightly version was much more accurate to the book than the A&E six-hour version.  Crazy!)

Percy Jackson Series by Rick Riordan
(These are young adult books, but they are amazing.  Riordan is a fantastic writer, and I will pretty much read anything he puts out at this point.)

The Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan
(Another series by Riordan, and also really good.)

The Little House Series by Laura Ingalls Wilder
(Again, my sentimental pregnancy hormones only allowed us to get a few books into this series, but I really liked it up to that point.  For the record, I was completely fine with Mary going blind from smallpox.  What I couldn't take was their faithful dog, Jack, growing old and possibly dying.  I cried until Brian promised to never read it again.)

Ok, surely in those lists you can find at least one book that sounds interesting, so go check it out at your library and start a new family tradition.  Or, if you're like me and there's just something special about owning books, I have made a list of all of these books in the sidebar with links to Amazon.  Feel free to mosey on over there and pick up a couple for yourself!  (I do receive a small percentage of sales made through my site, but I am not otherwise compensated for endorsing these products.)

Things that are Awesome: Mommy Edition

Here's a roundup of some awesome items that have made parenthood much easier, or at least, more doable.

(Note:  I am an Amazon affiliate, so I have included links to the products.  I do receive a small percentage of the sale if you buy through the links, but I am not otherwise endorsed for promoting these products.  I just think they are cool.  I have personally used them and found them extremely helpful.)

Fisher Price's Rock 'n Play

This may be the best thing I own when it comes to babies.  This thing is amazing.  You can easily carry it from room to room, even with the baby in it.  It is slightly elevated, so babies can see out, plus, when they are sick, they can sleep without choking.  It rocks a little, which Cricket loves, and it even comes with a toy. Plus it comes in cute colors.  We used this every single day when Cricket was first born, and even now that she is over a year old, she still sleeps in it when she's sick.   It's like magic.

And yes, I know about the recall.  Ours didn't have any mold on it, and even if it did, I would trade it in for a new one.  That's how much I love this thing.

Baby Bullet and Steamer

(I didn't have a picture of mine, so this is from http://yardable.com/Listings/Details/286)

These little guys are awesome.  I made Cricket's baby food before she was old enough to eat table food, and these made it easy.  They come with super helpful books on how to steam, puree, and store baby food, along with a set of storage capsule-looking jars.  Plus, they're super cute, 'cause they have smileys on them.  I still use them now when I need to puree something small that isn't worth getting out the food processor, and the steamer is like magic for defrosting frozen baby food cubes, making hard boiled eggs, steaming veggies, and even sterilizing stuff!

Flip Diaper Covers

We use cloth diapers, which might be a post for another day, but anyway, I tried several other brands before I found Flips, and I love them.  They rarely, rarely leak, unlike every other brand I tried, and they are one size, so you don't have to keep buying more as she gets bigger.  They are cute, sturdy, and well-made.  They are cheaper than a  lot of diapers, and since they are covers, you don't have to buy as many, again saving money.

Baby Jogger City Mini Stroller

Seriously, there is nothing this stroller can't do.  Well, almost nothing.  It is a three-wheel, so it is really easy to steer, even with one hand while pushing a door open with another.  It's all-terrain, so I can go on unpaved walking trails, off road at the Renaissance Faire, or on a normal sidewalk.  It has a three piece hood with two windows, so it's very adjustable according to how much visibility vs. sun shade she needs.  It has a basket in the bottom AND a pocket on the back.  It has a rain hood, air vents, and a foot rest!  It lays down, sits up and everything in between.  Oh, and my favorite part:  it folds up with the pull of one strap.  No kidding.  I can completely fold it up and load it in the trunk while holding Cricket in my other arm.  It is amazing.

Graco Snugride Car Seat

This is a great car seat, and I highly recommend it.  It's easy to get it in and out of the base, and it's so nice to have the removable seat so you don't have to carry a floppy baby down the stairs to the garage or wake her up to get her out of the car.  It also snaps directly into the stroller frame, which you buy separately and is totally worth it.  That's all we used for the first six or nine months, because it was so easy to just keep her in her car seat, and the frame is much lighter than most strollers.

Jellystone Teething Necklace

(Also another good picture of the stroller.)

This necklace is solid silicone, so it is chewy for babies, and since babies chew on your jewelry anyway, it's nice to have something that is safe for them.  It comes in a lot of colors, but I got black because I figured it would go with the most stuff.  I love it!  It is very versatile, and looks surprisingly good!  I've worn it to the park, to church, and to parties.  Since it's pretty much the only jewelry I wear, it is nice to have something that makes me feel dressed up at least a little, and Cricket loves it, too!  She always goes for it when I pick her up.  Also works as a great distraction during nursing, changing, or whenever else you need a toy within reach!

So those are some of my favorites, plus the items in the picture at the beginning:

Fisher Price Rainforest Healthy Care Booster Seat (longest name ever);

Infantino Baby Carrier (and also my Ergo Carrier, not pictured);

 Kelty Baby Carrier Backpack;

 Bumbo;

 Boppy,

 Fisher Price Rainforest Jumparoo.

 I've got tons more, but this is already long.  What about you?  Any favorites for kids (or their parents)?