Tag Archives: cat

Toddler Imaginations

I have read in many articles that it is wise to support children in their imaginary play. I have tried to do this with my son. I have found his imaginary play very entertaining and amusing. Only in one scenario do I find it to be a problem. My son has decided that, at meal times, he wants to pretend to be a cat. We have cats and my son has played with them since he was old enough to walk. My son has recently started placing his plate on the floor and eating on all fours. This bothers me. … Continue reading →

Coordinating Halloween Costumes

I’m not a matchy-matchy kind of mom. I’ve never once considered buying coordinating mother/daughter dresses, nor have I ever honored the request to dress my child in an outfit that complemented her cousin’s. However, when it comes to Halloween costumes, I’m a little more flexible. For some reason, I have a soft spot for matching Halloween costumes, especially when children are involved. To me, nothing is more adorable than seeing two kids standing at your front door wearing coordinating costumes. If you want your kids to complement each other this Halloween, then consider the following costume ideas: Elmo and Cookie … Continue reading →

Cheap and Easy Halloween Costumes

Don’t let the slumping economy put a damper on your Halloween festivities. Just because you don’t have $50 to shell out for an elaborately designed costume from the Halloween store, doesn’t mean you can’t make the most of the haunted holiday. Simply gather materials from around your home and get your creative juices flowing to make the following cute and comfortable Halloween costumes: Bunny: Find a pink, brown or white sweatsuit and add a large pom-pom to the backside. For the ears, simply glue construction paper to a plastic headband. Skunk: Use a black sweatsuit and add a strip of … Continue reading →

Affordable Halloween Couples Costumes

I recently suggested to my fellow blogger Andrea that her husband and her daughter should consider dressing up in coordinating Halloween costumes before heading out to trick-or-treat. After all, you don’t have to be married to dress up in couples’ costumes. Brothers and sisters, two friends, classmates or a pair of cousins could easily pull off the following looks: Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm: This is a cute idea for kids of the same age and height. If you don’t have another child to pair up with, you could use the idea for a parent/child costume and have mom or dad dress … Continue reading →

Fun Group Halloween Costumes

A couple of years ago one of the moms in my daughter’s playgroup suggested that we dress our kids in coordinating Halloween costumes for our city’s annual Boo Bash. She thought it would be cute to have each child dress up as a zoo animal. My daughter chose a monkey costume. The other playgroup kids attended the event dressed as a horse, lion, peacock, and penguin. Meanwhile, the moms dressed as zookeepers. It was fun, and we got a ton of positive feedback from fellow Boo Bashers. If you are looking to step it up this October, and really show … Continue reading →

Homemade Halloween Costumes for Girls

After spending the last few years trick-or-treating as a dog, cat, giraffe and monkey, my 5-year-old daughter is finally breaking out of her animal costume rut. This year she’s making a bold statement by trying to scare candy from complete strangers dressed as a man-eating dinosaur (a.k.a. The tyrannical lizard king from the “Land of the Lost”). Don’t let the padded claws fool you; she means business. After looking at the price of the green fleece costume I did consider making my own, but then I remembered that I barely have time to brush my hair in the morning, so … Continue reading →

Inventive and Frugal Play

When it comes to toys and child’s play, sometimes the best stuff you can give your children is free. My father always jokes that his only toy growing up during the Great Depression was a “Do-de-do.” This toy is basically an empty toilet paper tube that you can hum into and pretend that you are playing a horn. You can lead the charge, march in a parade or turn the toy into a bull horn. All it takes is imagination. I am reminded of this as I watch my children play. They’ve conned me into giving up their naps for … Continue reading →

The Controversy of the Cat

This morning, I was browsing through various web sites to get some inspiration for this blog. I wanted to see what new things might be out in the world that would help us be more eco-friendly. One suggestion that I came across concerned the cat. Keep your cat indoors, it offered, in order to be eco-friendly. Hmm . First let me start with a disclosure. We do have a cat, and we do keep him indoors. Well, we try to keep him indoors and succeed most of the time. There are moments when someone forgets to close the back door … Continue reading →

Making Camping Fun for Kids

Confession time: I’ve never camped with my own child. To those who know me well, this is no major revelation given that I’ve only roughed it a grand total of four times in my entire life, and all of those trips took place while I was swinging single. What can I say? I’m not a big camper. Still, I don’t want to deprive my child of the opportunity to commune with nature, so this summer I’ve decided to pitch a tent with my preschooler (and others). The only problem: all my camping experiences came while I was in college when … Continue reading →

Having Fun at a Farmer’s Market

Now that the weather is warming up, farmers markets are springing up around the country. In warmer climates these massive markets are open year round, but here in the chilly Upper Midwest, outdoor farmers markets are seasonal (and the indoor ones are only held bi-weekly). Their fleeting appearance from May until October is one of the reasons they are so popular in my neck of the woods. Another reason produce-loving residents flock to farmers markets here is that they are just plain fun. When was the last time you took your children to a farmers market? My preschooler loves visiting … Continue reading →