Let me start this post by saying, I hope I am not jinxing myself! 
Last winter I got Cameron some Stonz Mittz, and they were perfect for keeping his hands warm (and dry on sledding trips). But this year, he wants to use his hands more, so I needed to find something else. One day at the playground I saw a toddler with itty bitty gloves on, and I asked his mom about them. She said they were those “magic” stretchy gloves, made for kids and that she found them at the dollar store. Genius!
Cameron wearing his gloves at the playground
I managed to find some on Amazon for Cameron, but I am guessing your local dollar store might have some too. I did buy some for a friend’s child and she refuses to wear them, so perhaps I am just lucky. Cameron loves his and doesn’t take them off when he is outside playing (knock on wood). It takes a few seconds to get his fingers in the right spots, sometimes I settle for 4 out of 5, and they are a little big, but he doesn’t seem to mind at all. So, given that they are pretty affordable, it might be worth a try if you little one isn’t into mittens. Good luck!
I consider myself a frugal person – I had no problem shelling out for Cameron’s Patagonia baby puff rider jacket because I knew he would wear it every day. But buying an entire snow suit seemed excessive. Afterall, would he really need it? Well, yesterday I was wishing I had some waterproof bottoms for him after our first sledding trip in Fort Greene Park. I mulled it over while Cam was taking his nap, and came up with a solution for our afternoon outing : I put him in a garbage bag from the waist down. Not the most attractive solution – but it worked! His jacket and mittens kept him dry up top, and the bag covered the rest!
FYI – the Patagonia winter sale is back on – with discounts of up to 50% off. This includes baby stuff. Cameron has both the Puff Rider Jacket and the Baby Capilene which I am thinking about buying again for next year!
I was over at another mom’s house recently and she was telling me about a great website that her daughter loves, which is also educational. It’s called Starfall.com – I checked it out with Cameron, and he really enjoys it. The site has different levels of reading and phonics help for different aged children – we stuck with the A B C’s for now!
Pick a letter, any letter!
All the letters of the alphabet are laid out, clicking on each one brings up a small interactive display about each letter – what it sounds like, what it looks like (upper and lower case,) some words starting with and containing each letter, with some pictures or animation, and in some cases a small game. There is also a section on sign language.
A is for....
B is for... GRR!
C is for... Cameron's favorite. He loves Cats!
The displays are easy to navigate, and although Cameron isn’t using the mouse yet, I think given his expertise with the iPhone, it won’t be long before he won’t need my help at all. So check out Starfall.com with your little learner!
Cameron loves to swing. So yesterday while we were out and about in the afternoon we stopped at Camel Park (at the corner of Carlton and Dekalb in Fort Greene) for an impromptu ride on the swings – but they were all wet from the morning’s rain storms. Usually I have a cloth with me for dealing with such occasions, but I hadn’t planned ahead this time. I thought to myself… what do I have with me that is absorbent? Duh, a diaper!
Mom Genius At Work!
Swinging Happily
So next time you are out and you need something to dry off a wet swing, try using a diaper. It worked like a charm!
I went out for a walk this morning through Fort Greene Park and saw everyone enjoying the snow – building snowmen, playing on the playground, and of course, sledding. I came upon a mom using a laundry basket as a sled for her little one (quite successfully I might add!) The basket was gliding through the snow briskly, and she had a rope tied around her waist to move it along. I am always impressed by mom genius! So, you might not have a sled, but I know for sure you have a laundry basket! Get out there and enjoy it!
So Smart!
Never to snowy to play!
Cold season is upon us, and is hitting this household especially hard! I’ve been trying to wash Cameron’s toys regularly, but I got tired of doing it all by hand…. so I decided to chuck them in the dishwasher. It was so much easier!
The other day I was at a mom’s house for a playgroup and I noticed her glass coffee table had its edges covered with foam pipe insulation (can easily be found at a home depot or hardware store). What an amazing idea! The pieces were stuck together with electrical tape, although I am guessing any hearty tape would do. Mom genius at work!
Be sure to check out Babyproofing on the fly part 1
Cameron is pretty regular about his eating, but I always carry with me a few scoops of formula in a baby cube to add to his water bottle (which I always have, too) just in case he is he starving and we are out and about. I make sure to wrap a rubber band around the cube to prevent any spills! This came in handy last Friday when we were visiting Dad at work and needed a snack.
Cameron loves things that make noise when he moves them, so I took an empty water bottle and put some rice in it. It was a winner from the start! If you are concerned about BPA, use one of your baby’s bottles with the top on instead and let them shake shake shake to their heart’s content!
Don’t miss: Who doesn’t love a free toy part 1
Cameron wants anything I have – remote controls, iPhone, my keys, so today I decided to get him his own set of keys to play with. I went to Clinton Hill Hardware on Myrtle and picked up a few uncut keys – some car keys (because they are on the larger side) and then some house keys of different shapes, a few rings, and a little charm with a “C” on it. The whole thing cost just a few dollars, and Cameron loves it! Now he can play with them, and I won’t be worried about my keys getting lost… for now, at least!
