Picking a Preschool: A Rookie's Perspective

We're less than a week away from Preschool registration and I'm so excited and so sad that my little ones are growing up. I didn't really think about checking out preschools and just assumed I'd send my child to the preschool where all my friends go. As a teacher, I would have thought more from myself. I know that I still have until September to make a final decision. The preschool I've planned on is also part of our church. I like that I know the teachers and my children feel comfortable and safe there. This particular preschool is 3 days a week either in the morning or afternoon.

Despite not having investigated preschools in our area, I did research what my children needed to be ready for preschool.

I'm partial to this list from Babycenter.com.

-Practice getting along well with others
-Read to your child every day including stories with rhyme
-Ask predicting questions while reading
-Practice listening skills and following directions
-Create art with paper, crayons, paint and clay
-Practice dot to dot and mazes to develop writing skills
-Last but not least, work on bathroom skills, including potty training

After hearing that other friends are visiting preschools, I think that I should take a look around and see if I'm confident in my decision. I would say the first thing to do is to check with all your friends, family and neighbors and then do a bit of background research on the preschool. Once you have discovered that it is a safe and qualified contender, you can go for a visit. Here are some things to look for.

1. Are they learning the ABC's, 123's?
2. Is there play time every day (imaginative, physical)?
3. Children should have choice of some activities.
4. Are teachers interacting positively with children?
5. Do you see an alignment with your home values?

Good luck with your decision, this is such an exciting time for little ones and their parents.

Posted by Liz

{Stay tuned for "Picking a Preschool: A Veteran's Perspective" coming soon!}

Top Ten Tools/Toys for Toddler

Here's a fun list of toys, activities and equipment that I've found to be the most helpful for entertaining tots (age 1-2) . 

{With the holidays right around the corner, these are great gift ideas to keep in mind for kids in the age range.}

1. Slides- Koala Climber by Step2 and the Step2 Naturally Playful Big Folding Slide

  When my girls were about a year, we brought in the Koala Climber Slide. We added a large pillow below the step up area to cushion falls. I'm certain that this slide was great preparation for the park. They played and climbed and crawled all over this slide and still do. Now they love the Step2 Big Slide. We still have both in our family room for the girls to play on.

2. Water Table

  This is a wonderful mild/warm weather activity. My kids love to play with their toys in it. They also use it as a watering hole for their watering cans and teapots. Toddlers love to pour and water is a big hit, they can fill and refill containers all day long.

Toddler Art and Exploration Ideas

I love arts and crafts, but toddler art/exploration is still new to me. I am more of an outdoorsy mom and one who likes to go on adventures.

For at home play, I stick with what is easy to manage and prepare like coloring, stickers, painting, chalk, puzzles, etc., but there is so much more out there.

In searching Pinterest I've seen so many amazing ideas that super moms have done with their toddlers. I'm trying to be more inspired this week. So far I think I deserve a C, but I'm not giving up. 

This week I've tried shaving cream play, DIY puffy paint, leaf rubbing, painting pumpkins, and celery (flower) painting. Let's just say these weren't the best choices for 2 year olds.

Feeling out of ideas today, I decided to throw together some sensory muffin tins. Sensory bins are everywhere on Pinterest and most of them look like so much work. I searched my pantry for anything I could find that would go in 2 mini muffin tins. I came up with rocks, shells, marshmallows, candy corn, fake berries, mini pine cones, lentils, pasta shells, shelled walnuts and almonds. I gave each child a tin filled with items, a spoon and a bowl and let them explore.

We talked about each of the items, felt them, tasted when appropriate and they continued to play. The shelled nuts were the most interesting because they could shake them and hear something inside. This was a fun project and so easy to replicate for different seasons. I did a mini version, but it was something new for us.

Tomorrow, I plan on dumping all the items in a bowl and having them sort them back into the muffin tins. I think our next activity will be cloud dough or moon sand. You can find the directions by clicking here.

Please share your crafty ideas for toddler play. We'd love to hear them.

Posted by Liz

Getting Glasses: Toddler Style

We recently discovered that one of my girls (age 2) has to wear glasses.  She is near-sighted and really should wear the glasses as much as possible. Our pediatric eye specialist suggested that we purchase Miraflex or Solo Bambini eye glasses, both Italian companies that make flexible glasses for toddlers. Little did I know that in our little town of 60,000 you can not purchase either brand. Luckily, my cousin is an ophthalmologist and was able to order the Miraflex glasses for me. I did find both brands at BestBuyEyeglasses.com for a great price. Of course the child that would need glasses would be the one that never likes to wear them. Her twin sister on the other hand can be found wearing 1 or 2 pairs of princess sunglasses at a time.  

We knew this was going to be a challenge from the start, so we've tried to make this an exciting event by letting her pick out her glasses. We were not surprised when she picked pink. Today was the first day with the glasses and we wore them for a total of 10 min. and attempted probably about 5 times. We tried several times while reading books, eating and also watching cartoons. We're complimenting her like crazy and we've let her see herself in the mirror with them on. Right now her favorite thing is to play with them, by pulling them on and off. She has a pretty significant prescription so she should be able to tell a difference soon, we hope! My goal is to make putting on the glasses part of our daily routine. For now, each time that she wears them we're giving her a sticker. I'll let you all know if the rewards work. If anyone has suggestions, I would love to hear them. 

The real challenge might be the fact that this busy and easily distracted mother of twins is going to forget where I put the glasses when they come off. I guess it's a good thing we have two pairs. I might add that I have at least 4 pairs of sunglasses for this reason:)

Book Suggestions for Parents of Toddlers with Glasses
Blues Clues: Magenta Gets Glasses
Scholastic Reader Level 1: Who Wears Glasses
Arlo Needs Glasses
Update: In the past 5 days since writing this post, I've given up on stickers and now just try to put them on whenever I can. I'm also taking advantage of her being sick. I think she's not alert enough to pull them off as often.

Posted by Liz

Save 60% at Stride Rite

That's right! You can save 60% at Stride Rite by using the promo code DASH.

Happy shoe shopping!

"You Are My Sunshine" Part 2

It was so exciting to see our little girl in her first performance. And she did such a good job following directions!

Prior to her gymnastics routine, she did some various poses and dancing to warm up. Then it was on to the stage.

She's the one with her arms up in the air dancing with her ribbon.

And she walked across the balance beam with "Nadia-like" precision and grace. But, by the end of the 10+ group performance, our little girl was tired, and all smiled out. But she received her first medal and first official recognition of completion! Doesn't she look thrilled about it!

Birthday Gift Fit for a Princess

Each year for their birthdays, my kids receive a gift that revolves around them at that age. Up until this point, these gifts have all been photo books. Most of the photo books have been from Shutterfly and include fun friends like Diego and Elmo.

But this year, knowing how much our daughter loves the Disney princesses, I couldn't resist getting her a 16x20 image of her with all the princesses. Is this not the cutest thing you have ever seen??? All you have to do is submit an image of your child to use for the picture and Shutterfly does the rest.

And let me tell you, she was shocked and thrilled to see this picture! I think she was trying to think back to when she could have possibly taken the photo with all the princesses. But then she just realized, "who really cares, this picture is awesome!"

Now that it is hanging on her wall, she looks at it every night before she goes to bed and gets giddy.

Oh, and to make me love this gift even more, I got it for free! It was a reward I redeemed from the Pampers Gifts to Grow program. See, you can get more from diaper purchases than just the lovely gifts your baby leaves in them!

Picture Day Drama

Today, my almost three-year old daughter had picture day at preschool. With all of her sass, I would be lying if I didn't admit to some anxiety about picture day. From the fight about what she was going to wear to whether or not she would let me do something to her hair, I was dreading our morning before school.

And, as luck would have it, I gave her two options for clothing and she actually chose one of the options. She even let me do her hair with a cute bow!

Maybe picture day was going to be okay after all.

So I dropped her off and she went on her merry way into her classroom. When I returned to pick her up, she showed me where they took pictures. She explained, "That's where we took pictures. But I didn't smile."

What? No smile!?!

What a little stinker! I can't wait to get these pictures back and see exactly what she did. And I will buy as many copies as possible so I have evidence to show her when she is a mother what she has to look forward to!

Above is what I like to refer to as her modeling pose after getting her first haircut. Does my daughter have personality...just a little bit!

Amazing Portable Potty Seat

Today we had our first play date with some of my son's new friends from kindergarten. Naturally, every one's siblings were there, which included my little terror. (She really is going through an unbelievably-not-fun stage right now!)

And, wouldn't you know it, after being there for 15 minutes, my nearly 3-year old comes running up to me and says, "Mommy, I have to go poo poo."

Since we have moved, I have to say that I have been so impressed with the parks in our area and the cleanliness of the bathrooms. But as luck would have it today, the park didn't have a bathroom!!!

Just when I thought we were going to have to pack it up and head home, another mom came to the rescue with the neatest little potty seat contraption. And I say "little" because it folds up into the size of a thin square binder.

Lauren did her business, I gave her a quick wipe, and then wrapped up the bag that attaches to the potty seat like nothing had happened. It was easy for her to use and so easy for me to clean!

I mean, we are talking, this could have been a huge mess and mass hysteria, and the Kalencom On the Go Potty, along with this amazing mom, saved the day!

So naturally, I came home to look it up. The On the Go Potty can be used as a potty seat on top of a toilet seat as well as portable potty seat. And you buy the disposable liners for when you are on the go. As far as I am concerned, this seat is a great option for long car trips, gross public restrooms, and any other place where your child may need to go. And it is so small that you can fold it up and fit it in your baby bag.

And here is another awesome thing, it is only $10 on the Kalencom website!!! Talk about money well spent. If you need a potty seat for your little one, I highly recommend the On the Go Potty.

Mommy Likey!

Potty Training Success!

This Snow White costume signifies that our daughter is going #1 and #2 on the toilet consistently!

Both of her grandmas were thrilled to buy this Big Girl costume for their Big Girl granddaughter who doesn't need diapers anymore.

This is yet another example of how bribery works! (And doesn't Mommy's wedding tiara add a nice touch to the costume!?!)

Potty Training - It's Not About Me

With the ongoing potty training experiment, I had one of my greatest accomplishments to date. My 2-1/2 year old daughter went "poo poo" on the toilet! She performed this amazing task early this morning and it left me on cloud 9 all day. Seriously, I never thought poop would be the best way to start my day!

Luckily, my husband reminded me that just because she did it once, that doesn't mean she will go on the toilet every time. She might revert back to old habits, like the diaper. But with my strong willed and savvy daughter, I thought for sure when she realized how easy it was to use the toilet, she would never want a diaper again.

About 10 minutes after my husband reminded me of this possible regression, she had to go #2 again and she refused to go on the toilet. She had to go in her diaper. I felt so defeated and was so upset.

But then I realized that her potty training is not about me, it is about her. I can't strong arm or will her into doing what I want her to do. She needs to do this in her own time. And for the time being, I just need to be proud of her for her great accomplishment this morning.

Luckily, we have 6 pairs of princess shoes to remind of us of that great accomplishment. (Her reward for this great milestone!)

My Very Own Cookie Monster

This morning, as we were getting ready to run some errands, I noticed my daughter hiding underneath the pillows on our couch. I thought she was just being silly until I walked into the kitchen and saw that a chair had been pushed up against the counter right in front of an open Tupperware container of chocolate chip cookies.

I walked back over to the couch, lifted up the pillows and found my daughter chomping away on a cookie. Naturally, chocolate was all over her face and she had a grin from ear to ear. She then even offered me a bite.

This was one of those rare occasions when I actually laughed at her and chalked it up as me having a crazy little 2-year old!

Image from SesameStreet.org

My Daughter Didn't Want to Open Her Birthday Presents...Clearly Not a Child of Mine!

We celebrated my daughter's 2nd birthday yesterday with family and friends. It was a hodge podge theme of superheroes like The Incredibles, Spider-Man, the Monster vs. Aliens characters, Wonder Woman and, oh yeah, she had to have a Monsters, Inc. jumpy house.

She had a blast playing with all her little friends and jumping in the jumpy house. But this is where she totally surprised me. She had no desire to open any of her presents. Everyone assembled in the living room to watch her open them, she took the card off the first present and then bailed. She ran into the other room to find an earlier gift she had received from Grandma and Grandpa... her Cozy Coupe (or as I like to call it, her Fred Flinstone car). She decided driving the cozy coupe around was much more exciting that opening present. What!?!

All the other kids were sitting waiting to see what she got. And of course, her brother was chomping at the bit to "help her" open her presents. I sat there looking at all the guests asking, "what do I do now?" Everyone pretty much told me I should just open the presents. But instead, I let all the bigger kids open her presents and then they showed her the gift to see if she liked it. Some she took to, other she just walked away like the interaction had never happened...too funny!

My little two year old never ceases to amaze me! But it was a great party, nevertheless, and now I have about 20 left over cupcakes and a yummy cake staring me in the face...any takers???

Poingo Reading System Winner: Holiday Season of Giveways at HC&B

Thank you to everyone that entered the Poingo Reading System Giveaway. It truly is a win/win gift for any child and parent.

And the winner is...dddiva, who said:

"I would love to win this for Ian, he is 2 and LOVES books and I think this would really help him to read earlier on his own."

dddiva, please contact us at info@housescouchesandbabies.com to claim your prize.

For those of you that would still like to get the Poingo for that special little someone,You can find the Poingo Reading Systemat all major retailers (Target, Costco, ToysRUs, etc.).

Preschool Germs

Last week was my 3 year old's first day of preschool. He was very excited to go and had a blast playing with all the toys and meeting new friends. (Oh, and he liked the Skittle he got at the end of the class, too...he is his mother's son!) So that was Wednesday...

When he woke up from his nap on Thursday, he complained that his throat and nose hurt. (Oh that Skittle!!!) That, of course, turned into a runny and stuffed up nose, a cough and a fever the next night.

I hate seeing my little buddy not feeling well, so I am always a little stressed when he gets sick. And now with his little sister, crawling around, following him all over the house, I just don't want her to get sick either. Because, let's face it, sick kids = no sleep for parents or parents getting sick, too.

I know illnesses happen, but come on, the first day of school!?!? And now I have to decide on whether or not to take him to school tomorrow if he still has his cough and stuffy nose...what's a mom to do?

7 Medicines You Shouldn't Give Your Kids

You should always check with your child's doctor before giving him/her medication. But here are 7 medications that BabyCenter recommends you keep your preschooler away from...

Aspirin

Over-the-counter cough and cold medicines

Anti-nausea medications
Adult Medications

Any medication prescribed for someone else or for another reason

Anything expired

Extra acetaminophen

For more detailed information as to why your child should avoid these medications, click here.

Surprise Giveaway: The Cold Seat

Although I hate losing an hour of sleep, I do love the thought of spring and summer. But with the warmth of summer comes the stifling hot car that we must be subjected to. And car seats seem to make our babies even hotter...yet another worry!!

Thanks to Cold Seat, there is one less worry this summer. (And for many more summers to come!)

What is the Cold Seat? I am glad you asked! Cold Seat is a car seat cover that provides a safe and comfortable environment for your children during hot weather months.

By using this freezable seat cooler, you don't have to wait for the air conditioner to cool that seat down. It's ready, it's cool, and it's safe! Using freezable ice packs tucked into an attractive cover, Cold Seat provides a durable, reliable, and affordable way to protect your child from burns or other heat-related injuries. Just by covering the car seat - it's that simple!

And thanks to the maker of Cold Seat, (2) lucky Houses, Couches and Babies readers will win a Cold Seat to protect their precious cargo throughout warm/hot weather (retail value $49.95).

Here's how to enter:

• Check out the Cold Seat website and post a comment right here telling us why you would like to win a Cold Seat (creativity counts!)
• In your comment, please be sure to include your name (or blogger name) as well as your city/state/country (anonymous comments will not be accepted; obviously because we won't know who you are!)
• Post your comment by midnight PST on Sunday, March 16th.

The winner will be announced some time after March 16th, so please keep checking back to see if you are a winner! THE WINNER WILL NOT BE CONTACTED...SO KEEP CHECKING BACK!!!

Good Luck!

Potty Training Help

My husband and I have been pulling out our hair lately. Why you ask? Potty training!!

My son went "pee pee on the potty" for the first time nearly a year and a half ago, and we don't feel like we are any closer to having him potty trained.

And going #2 on the potty, forget about it. But I think there is hope. I just found a very interesting article at BabyCenter.com entitled "How can I encourage my preschooler to have a bowel movement on the potty, instead of in her diaper or training pants?"

I definitely had a few ah-ha moments while reading this article. For example, the author discusses something called a "toilet sit," which is basically a time when you have your child sit on the toilet just to get relaxed on the toilet, not necessarily to actually go.

I also found another great article called "Parents say: Toilet training tips." Check out this article for simple tricks that made potty training easier for other parents.

If knowledge is power, I feel at least more powerful than an ant...now!!

Saucy Little Onesies

With the new baby's arrival in 16 days (or less! Oh please God, let it be less!), I suddenly started thinking about clothes for this child. Sure, since we don't know what we are having, we have plenty of unisex clothing to get by. And since I still can't think about boy or girl clothes yet, I found in Pregnancy & Newborn magazine some cute (and funny) onesie ideas...that can work for a boy or girl!

Here are just a few:

"Poo Factory" (comficozy.com, $25)

"I drink until I pass out" (cafepress.com, $12.99)

"Mommy & Daddy + Martini = Me" (psychobabyonline.com, $28)

You can find these and many other cute onesies and t-shirts on their respective websites. Of course, these are always cute gift ideas, too!

Stay-dry Bath Apron & Towel

Forget getting drenched while bathing your infant or toddler. A very smart and resourceful mom/grandma team has invented the adorable Stay-dry Bath Apron & Towel (made of 100% soft cotton terry) that will make bathing your baby easier and much drier...say goodbye to changing your clothes after bathtime!

Here are just a couple of the benefits that I think you will love:

• One size fits all. The elastic neckline is connected at the nape of the neck with velcro to accomodate any size. (i.e. Dad can wear it,too!)
• The apron ties are attached to the underside front of the bath apron, keeping the sides hanging free. Easy on, easy off!
• Includes handy accessories pocket; perfect for storing baby wash and toys
• Comes with matching wash mitt

Click here to find out more about the Stay-Dry Bath Apron & Towel ($19.99). Use reference code #SP0906 to receive a 10% discount.