LilSugar

Kidoodles: Thanksgiving Tablecloth

babysugar — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:00:29 -0800

Since Thanksgiving is next week, we thought you could use a simple arts and crafts project to entertain your kiddos and help you prepare for the holiday. Let your children be in charge of the tablecloth. They will appreciate the opportunity to get involved and relish the chance to get a lil messy - all in the name of helping out!

You just need the following items:

A piece of butcher paper (white works well with all colors)
A few sponges
Festive colored paints
A few pieces of blank paper
Scissors
Plates or bowls for paints
Markers or crayons

For my guide to making a kid-friendly tablecloth, read more

First, measure the table so you know how much butcher paper you will need. Once you have that, cut the paper and place it on a flat even surface like the floor or table top.

Next, draw whatever designs you want to use on the tablecloth and draw them on a piece of paper no bigger than the sponge you will use.

Once you have completed your drawing, cut it out and trace it on the sponge. Then cut along the traced line so you have your sponge design.

Now you are ready for the fun part! Put some paint in the plates or bowls and dip one side of the sponge into the paint. Gently press it onto the butcher paper. Voila! Use different colors and shapes to fill the paper.

Once it's all dried up, let your little ones draw on the paper and write "Happy Thanksgiving" or "I am thankful for ...", or a saying of their choice.

Finally, put the cloth on the table and ask your lil helpers to set it with plates and silverware!

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Time-Saving Tips For Tied-Up Mamas

LilSugar — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:00:59 -0800

Busy bees have got nothing on mothers. There are not enough hours in the day or hands in the house for most mamas to accomplish all of her tasks. While she can't magically add another 60 minutes to her day, she can make it feel like she did with a few of these easy time-saving tips.

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Get Your Kid Fired Up For the Potty

babysugar — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 15:00:13 -0700

Nobody is more excited for baby to get out of diapers than mommy, but the trick may be getting the child even more fired up for the milestone. Though the poop dance and clapping shed light on the importance of peeing in the toilet, getting tots involved in the potty-training process can be the ultimate motivator. It is much easier to convince children to ditch the diapers when their mama has included them in the shopping and decision making.

Check out these five items that will get your tot jumping for potty joy!

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Things to Make Mom Smile

babysugar — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 14:30:18 -0700

Try as we might, moms know that sometimes we just can't do it all. That's why we get by with a little help from some rad baby and mommy products. For starters, I'll buy just about anything that promises to make me rest well so that my parenting capabilities are top notch every morning. I have found the Beauty SilkZzz pillow helps me do that. And while I can make a decent Rice Krispie treat with the basics, the Milk and Krunchies desserts are far superior and I don't even have to clean up. Check out my other picks!

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10 iPhone Apps For New Moms

LilSugar — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 06:00:51 -0700

Say goodbye to mush brain with a lil help from your smart phone! The fog in which many new moms find themselves after their baby's birth can leave them trying to remember when they last nursed or how often their tot is soiling diapers. There are quite a few new iPhone applications designed expressly for keeping track of these things. Check out some of our favorite apps that give new parents peace of mind.

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Bring on the Counting Tools!

babysugar — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 08:23:32 -0700

Children can learn how to count at an early age by doing mundane tasks. Next time mom brings the tot her meal or tosses the lil one in the bathtub, she can introduce a lesson in math. Check out the slideshow to see how you can get your wee one involved in adding things up!

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Mommy's Lil Helpers For Tough Hygiene Tasks

LilSugar — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 06:00:26 -0700

Babies needing their temperature taken or their noses cleared don't intimidate mamas who have the right tools. Handy parents who have gone though the trials of helping their tots have created products that get the jobs done. Take a look at some of the more interesting inventions that were made to assist fellow moms and dads.

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StrollAway Makes More Room For Mama

babysugar — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 05:00:54 -0700

If Urban Babies Wear Black, then urban mamas are black and blue from tripping over baby paraphernalia in their shoebox apartments. Mothers living in tight quarters must perform magic tricks to find spots for the exersaucer, high chair, bottles, plates, clothes, rocking chair, and stroller. Brave (or resigned) mommies often leave their swank buggies in the hallway or on the sidewalk with the hope that strangers will leave them untouched. Now ladies don't have to check the trust at the door anymore. Terrain-challenged mums will do back flips for the StrollAway stroller holder.

The $50 gadget fits over the door, leaving no wall marks or door damage - ideal for renters. The heavy duty steel construction makes it durable enough to hang most every stroller brand over most size doors. And for pushchair hogs hoarding three or four buggies in the name of travel, exercise, and grocery shopping, Metrotots is due to come out with a wall mount for the garage and a multi-stroller rack system.

PishPosh Mommy Pack For Practical Mamas

babysugar — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 08:00:10 -0700

Move over diaper cream and pacifiers - this is mama's bag! Stubborn ladies who are bent on slinging their sassy totes around rather than standard diaper bags will love the idea behind the $45 PishPosh Mommy insert.

Instead of stashing a bottle in the pocket of a swanky designer bag and risking spilled milk on pricey polished leather, the PishPosh pouch holds all of babe's necessities and zips up to easily fit into most totes so moms can pull or pack it when they see fit.

Lilsugar readers can get 10 percent off their purchase with the code: LILS10

Feeding Journals to Track Baby's Every Move

LilSugar — Fri, 29 May 2009 15:00:28 -0700

Truth be told, my husband and I tracked our kids' feeding and diaper changes on a scrap of paper for about a day before the sleep deprivation kicked in and all we wanted to do was stare at our new bundles of joy. I'm not the perfect mother, so I understand why other women and men take the task more seriously. Perhaps five years of parenthood has us more organized to take on this task for baby number three. We'll see, but in the meantime here are some pretty cool products up for the using.

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