KarenCL's Profile

I created this chart, and it worked great for both my boys. http://attackofthecraft.blogspot.com/2010/06/potty-power-part-2.html
Boys can take a little longer, especially if they are independent. It only took a couple of weeks of consistently following it to be rid of diapers/pull-ups completely. I wasn't telling them to go, the chart was. The chart is a way for them to participate in the decision making and have some control. You can print out the images if you like. I cut them out and glued them to craft foam backed with magnets. The chart went on the fridge which made it easily accessible. Good luck.

You want a big sandbox. I found one on Craigslist that looks like a wooden ship. It has a storage area and a padded seat. My boys (3 and 5) spend hours in it. They also love a pea gravel path I put in our garden.

Plant things that can offer wonderful sensory experiences. Have a vegetable garden, even if it's a small one. Pizza gardens are fun. Grow kid-friendly, low maintenance plants. These have proven indestructible (and cheap!): lamb's ears, daisies, hostas, day lilies, creeping phlox, mint and lavender (all perennials). The butterflies are crazy for our azaleas. Don't know where you live but find out what plants are native your area. Plant fast growing trees like crepe myrtles for shade. Better Homes and Gardens has free garden plans (bhg.com)

My son's preschool class did this very thing, but painted the popcorn with pink glitter paint.

We had Diaper Genies for my two boys, now 5 and 3. The Genies get stinky after a while, so you end up replacing them after a year or so. If I had it to do over again, I'd have gotten a small bin with a lid and line it with several grocery bags. Just one of MANY things I would've done differently! Just remember to enjoy yourself and don't fret too much with the little things.

My SIL gave my boys (3 and 5) each a set of Automoblox, and they LOVE them. They are hard on toys, but these are really sturdy. And I wouldn't mind displaying them on a shelf, unlike some of their other plastic toys. I might buy up a bunch for birthday gifts for their friends.

I agree with many posters that is a little blah. But the biggest issue I had with it was the choice of covering the arm chairs with leather. There are many photo ops/press conferences in the Oval with the President and a visiting dignitary/diplomat/head of state seated in those chairs. Leather chairs can make funny noises when you adjust your seat in them. Diplomacy is hard enough without the extra challenge of trying to avoid making farting noises. I can see Obama's catch phrase, "let me be clear" replaced by "that wasn't me, that was the chair."

How cute! My boys' birthdays are a few weeks apart, and I was considering a joint party too! My boys will be 3 and 5, and I don't know how they'd handle sharing their birthday. What about gifts? Did guests bring a gift for each?

Definitely put a sleeve on it and hang on curtain rod. And hang it away from direct sunlight, so the colors won't fade.

My boys (2 and 5) share a room. We live in a cape cod, so there are some crazy angles in their room. We went with a Kura Ikea reversible bed. Ohdeedoh has featured these. The top bunk is <4 feet high. Much lower than traditional bunks. The bottom has a approx. 2inch high frame for a twin mattress, but we cut a bunch of 2x4's and laid them on the floor to support a pillow-top full mattress. This was great as our 2 year old was transitioning from a crib. We can always flip the Kura and use it as a twin bed. We often find them sharing the bottom bunk, and there's plenty of room to stretch out. Don't know if this makes sense, but I can send to a photo if you need clarification. We paid $200 for the bed, and bought a thin twin mattress for <$100.

Get off my brainwave! I was just thinking about doing this for a Vacation Bible School craft and was just about to go digging around for instructions. Thanks!