Garbage Truck Day
The Boy loves, loves, loves the Garbage Truck. Today was green waste pick-up day and street sweeper day. We happened to be out on a walk and got to see the tractor that picks up the green waste, the garbage truck where the tractor puts all the green waste, AND the street sweeper. We stopped for a while and watched all three. As we continued on our walk we saw them again and again. Each time, we stopped and watched them for a little while. What a great, fun, free activity.
Fire trucks and police cars are also popular with The Boy and his cohorts. We often walk past the fire station and police station (on the same street - it’s a pretty small town) and have occasionally been able to see a fire truck leaving the station with its lights on. Check around your own community for places to see local service vehicles in action. It can be fun. And did I mention that it’s free!?!
China Blames Others for Recalled Products
The People’s Daily, the ruling Communist Party’s official paper in China, has come out and stated that other companies need to also take some blame for their recently recalled products
“If product quality is sub-standard, foreign businesses and joint ventures cannot shirk their blame”, it said.
While it is easy to blame Chinese companies, remember that American companies also need to do some quality control and not just assume a country with sketchy human rights and safety records should be able to ship anything they want overseas. If you allow another country to produce most of the stuff you purchase, you have to make sure they have the same standards as you would want in your own country.
Easy Art Smocks
Don’t spend lots of money on art smocks for kids! Instead, go into your own closet and find some old t-shirts. My husband’s old t-shirts are perfect for The Boy. They come down past his knees and the arms reach past his elbows. If there is too much give in the neck area, just take a clothespin and gather up the extra in the back.
The Boy loves wearing “Daddy’s Shirt” and since it already has paint on it from myriad other household projects that The Man has worked on, it isn’t a problem if The Boy wipes paint on it too.
Super Baby Food
As a single-income family on a tight budget, we made most of our own baby food when The Boy first started eating solid foods. Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron was my food bible for a good year and a half. I still use it, although not as frequently and I’m sure I’ll return to it if The Boy ever gets A Sibling.
This book is chock-full of information on feeding infants and toddlers. There are recipes, food storage tips, health and safety tips and homemade craft ideas. There is a month-by-month guide to foods that could be introduced to your baby along with tips on how to prepare and store these foods at home. There are over 350 nutritious and delicious recipes for your baby and toddler. Who knew that I could whip up a batch of homemade crackers just like that?
I felt lost and confused when it came to feeding The Boy as he began to start on solids. This book really helped me plan out what foods to introduce and when. It also gave me some great ideas on how to store these foods. (In ice cube trays - you must read about that!) I highly recommend this book for any parent who wants to save money (and the environment - fewer plastic and glass containers) when it comes to feeding your baby. You will also know exactly what is going into your baby’s tummy. No extra preservatives or sugars.
The book is reasonably priced for the amount of information it contains. I was lucky enough to find it at a used book store for about half it’s new price. Remember to check out your library book sales, yard sales and online book trading/buying sites for cheaper books.
Laughing Until You Fall Down
Watch this nine month old laugh until he falls down. Over and over again.
Also, check out the related videos, kids are cute, aren’t they?
County Fair
We took The Boy to the County Fair in my hometown recently. It cost $7.00 each for adults to get into the Fairgrounds, but children under 5 were Free. It cost money to park there, so we rode a shuttle bus (an off-duty school bus) from town out to the Fairgrounds. The bus ride was Free and, I must say, it was the highlight of the weekend for The Boy. He had never ridden on a school bus before.
Once inside the Fairgrounds, we headed to the animal barns. We had a great time looking at all the poultry, pigs, sheep, goats, cows and horses. We watched the Dachshund races (Free!) but didn’t stay late enough for the Greased Pig Contest (also Free). He probably would have loved it. We managed to avoid the midway area, as The Boy is not a fan of the rides. We did splurge on corn dogs and lemonade, but could have avoided that cost if we had brought in our own food. All in all, it was a fun, inexpensive activity for the whole family.
Our own local County Fair is Free to get in. Check out Fairs in your area. If parking and admission fees are not sky-high, they can be a good source of local amusement. Maybe you could even enter something in the fair and win some prize money!
Homemade Shrinky Dinks
Homemade Shrinky Dinks. I kid you not.
What did we do before the Internet? How did our parents do it? 
Dackwards Bay
Here is an idea for a fun, free activity.
Declare one day a Backwards Day. Put your clothes on backwards and say ‘Good Night’ instead of ‘Good Morning.’ Eat dessert first or eat a dinner food for breakfast. Walk backwards or have a backwards race down the hall (clear your path of trip-able obstacles first). Tell your kids a story from end to beginning or have them do the same for you. Practice counting backwards. Say ‘Goodbye’ instead of ‘Hello.’ Have fun with it and have a day that is not so ordinary.
10 Good Reasons You May Want to Have Kids
After reading 10 Good Reasons You May not Want to Have Kids, I thought I might redo the list from my own perspective.
- They are Noisy
Seeing the pure joy, coupled with giggling/screaming with laughter while going down a slide or going so high on the swings that they think they are going into low earth orbit can’t be beat. And sometimes out of all that noise comes the funniest comments you have ever heard. - Social Responsibility
Raising your children to be outstanding world citizens can make you so proud your heart will burst. Until you have kids you never realize why your parents wanted you to be successful in everything you did and how your achievements may have meant more to them then to you. - They Are an Economic Drain
Money is only money and by managing it, say from websites with great single income parenting advice, you can spend more time having fun with your children then worrying about money. - You Have to Teach them Things
For those people out there without kids, a kid is like a pet that learns to talk and never stops learning tricks. You get to teach them all kinds of nifty things. You can be a minor deity just by knowing how to make a proper mud pie or how to rub a balloon on their hair and stick it to a wall. - The TV Shows and Books you will have to Endure
You get to rehash some of your favorite books from when you were a kid and can make up funny voices for them that will have the kids rolling in the aisles. Also, you can expose them to older shows like the Muppet Show and the original Scooby Doo. - Their Friends
They bring home the most interesting people and you realize that not everyone raises their kids like you and amazingly it works out. Plus you can be the cool parent that always has the homemade cookies or the cardboard box fort to play in. - Constant Illness
The parenting bond is never stronger than when you are nursing a kid back to health. The feeling you get when they finally fall asleep and look so peaceful after throwing up all over the place is priceless. - They Attract the Ill-Will of Strangers
A phrase that sticks in my mind. “I’ve got a .45 and shovel, you won’t be missed.”
- Once they are Born you are Pretty much Stuck with them
You get to see your children go from drooling blobs to feisty teenagers to respectable adults to parents themselves. And you can look back on it all and be amazed at how much you have accomplished by having children. You won’t remember having to spend $200 on that new carseat but you will remember reaching back and having your child grasp your fingers for the first time while riding in it. - They are Ungrateful
They only go through this phase for a while and then they realize how smart you have “become” and maybe you do know something.
Grasping at Straws
The next time you get set to travel, throw a few straws into your diaper bag. Actually, you may just want to keep some straws in your purse for day to day use too.
1. Put a little water in a cup and let your kids blow bubbles. This is a great entertainer on a flight or when waiting for food in a restaurant. Note: Just use a little water. And make sure it is water, not juice or another beverage that will make for messy clean up.
2. Let your kiddo suck on the straw during take off and landing during a flight. This may help relieve some inner ear pressure.
3. If your kids are younger, a straw could be a useful chew-toy.
4. If you have bend-y straws, you can stick them together, end to end to make a bigger toy.
5. Use them to practice counting.
6. Lay them out to make shapes, letters, numbers or other pictures.
7. Older kids can practice tying a bow using a straw.
8. Almost-silent drumsticks.
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