Melissa and Doug Magnetic Responsibility Chart

We recently purchased the Melissa and Doug Magnetic Responsibility Chart for Eliana. We are not so much using it as a reward chart as we are a way to keep track of the things she is supposed to be doing every day. And so far, she is very excited about it. I am excited about it because I tend to forget to keep her on a "routine", which means I often forget things in her schedule like brushing her teeth. They are routine for me, but not for her yet, so I'm trying to get to that place. And for her, she gets to put a smiley face down when she does it, so it's exciting and she remembers to do it! =D

There are lots of "responsibilities" included with this chart. They range from things like dishes and homework to no teasing and stop whining. Because there are things we expect Eliana to do all the time ("say please and thank you", "aplogize to someone", "share") I doubt we will ever use those magnets. At least not as part of this chart. They need to be done more than once a day, so I don't know how you would use the smiley faces in conjunction with them. There are plenty of others that we will use, though, as part of her schedule, such as making her bed (which we don't have her do right now) or taking care of a pet (when we someday have one).

Right now our schedule reads:
*Get Dressed
*Brush Teeth
*Empty Dishwasher
*Clean Up Room
*Put Clothes in Wash
*Take a Bath
*Get Ready for Bed

Generally, the first 3 are done in the morning (getting dressed, brushing teeth, and emptying the dishwasher). It is her job to put away the silverware when I empty the dishwasher. Just to explain that we don't expect our 2 year old to empty the whole dishwasher. =D The last 4 are part of her bedtime routine. Cleaning up her room, putting her clothes in the wash (really, putting them in the hamper in the closet when she takes them off for her bath), taking a bath, and getting ready for bed.

If nothing else, I hope this chart will help me be a little more regular about her routine, and help her learn that routines are important and good for helping us make sure the things that need to be done get done.

As for the set itself, I think the wood and magnet quality seem to be good. I have yet to be disappointed by a Melissa and Doug product as far as quality is concerned, and this isn't any different. As mentioned above, I think some of the "responsibilities" are a little odd given that they shouldn't be a once a day thing, but then maybe everyone doesn't expect their children to be polite all the time and once a day will suffice. Who knows. I do sort of wish that they had put the chart on the bottom panel and the storage panel on the top so that I could stand the chart up like an easel instead of hanging it. It's too heavy to hang on a fridge (I can't find any magnetic hooks that are strong enough to hold it), and I don't really know of another good place to hang it. So I do wish that were different in the design, just for versatility. Overall, though, I'm pleased with it so far.

BPA Free... and cute to boot!

Lately Eliana has been hooked on her sippy cups. It doesn't matter what's in them, she just wants a sippy cup. For comfort. And she doesn't want to drink out of a real cup for dinner.

Ack!

So I bought Ellie some new cups yesterday at Costco, just like her friend Zoe has. These Contigo cups are great! They're leakproof when sealed (though Ellie did discover right away that she can push down the button and pour out of her cup - which she promptly got in trouble for), but the spout opens up for drinking when you push the button. That means no more sucking to get the liquid out! These are big girl cups! And actually, they are recommended for ages 4+, but it seems to me that they are fine so long as the kiddo can coordinate pushing the button, tipping, and drinking all at the same time.

I didn't get the cups BECAUSE they were BPA free, but it is a nice feature. They're also dishwasher safe and don't have extra little valves to pull out, which is nice. Just two peices, the cup and the lid. And Costco's got a 4 pack of them for $12 less than Amazon. I love Costco. =D

Now I'm going to go freecycle MOST of Eliana's sippy cups. Not all of them, I will keep the 4 Gerber ones, but I will freecycle the rest. I really want to break this sippy cup habit!

Review: Cookie Magazine

I have magically been receiving Cookie magazine for the past few months. I'm not sure why it started ending up in my mailbox, with my name on it, but it did. Maybe it's a mistake. Maybe it's a gift subscription. Either way, I've been getting it, and I've been trying to read it.

But I have yet to see any real articles, any really good ideas, any fun mom-kid crafts, despite the front cover's announcement of such. Really, all I see are lots (and lots) of ads. In fact, every other page (and more!) is a full page ad. There are snippets of articles interspersed, but rarely do these "articles" give any more than a single page worth of material. Perhaps the magazine is geared toward moms who have little more than a minute or two to read it, but I for one don't have the time to scour each of the pages in search of the article amidst the ads. Even from the pictures I cannot draw inspiration for my family time. Most of the pictures are not of happy families doing activities together, but of products I simply cannot afford. I am a stay at home mom. I don't wear Tiffany's jewelry, or $220 perfume, or use $30 soap.

So I'm not impressed. I'm frankly underwhelmed. The cover is deceiving in it's allure to the average mom. Cookie claims to be "All the best for your family" but I just don't see it. This is one magazine I will be happy to let the subscription run out on, whether I paid for it or not.

Product Review: Color Wonder Markers

Crayola makes Color Wonder markers that only color on their special Color Wonder paper. I was slightly skeptical as to how they would work when I first bought them, but I also didn't want Ellie to color on herself, her clothes, the furniture, etc. The markers and paper are a little more expensive than regular markers and paper but, in my opinion, are worth the extra for the time it takes to train your kids how to color with markers appropriately.

Color Wonder markers really do color only on the special paper. It takes a few seconds for the color to appear on the paper, but that didn't seem to deter Ellie any. The color is not archival, so it fades with time, especially in direct sunlight.

If you have a toddler who is likely to make a mess while coloring, I recommend Color Wonder markers and a paper. The markers are regularly sized, so they are easy to hold and help kids get ready for coloring with "real" markers. The Color Wonder markers we bought came in a little mesh zipper pouch, so we folded up a sheet of color wonder paper and put it in the zipper pouch to take to restaurants with us. The paper tears along folds easily, so there's no need to pre-cut the paper into smaller sections.

These have been beneficial for us while we have worked on teaching Ellie the "rules" of coloring. Only color on the paper, not your skin, clothes, or the table; keep the markers and caps out of your mouth at all times; never throw markers or caps onto the floor; etc. She is learning more and more about proper marker etiquette, and we have been able to train her without being frustrated or fearful that she would ruin her clothes, the furniture, or the carpet with marker ink. We will definitely keep using the Color Wonder markers for a while until she is old enough to color with "real" markers responsibly.

When I don't have time to make a birthday gift, I have given Color Wonder markers or finger paints and paper (they also have Color Wonder coloring books) for 2nd birthday presents.

For more information on Color Wonder products, go to Crayola's website.