Parent Hack: Watercolor with Toddlers

In a former life I was an aspiring artist.  I intended to attend an art school in Philadelphia and live the life a starving artist.  I have always excelled at things that require creativity and thinking within the grey area.  That is also why I write.  I feel it goes hand in hand with a right brained individual.

I did not take that path and instead went into Educaiton and Sociology, but all of tht things I have studied have belended well in the careers that I have chosen, especially the most important one: Parenting.

Since day one as a mother, I have implemented my education in all things in molding my children.  We sing, we play, we do crafts and educational acitivites that tend to lean towards a more hands-on, visual and creative interpretation.  Not all of my children learn best that way, but luckily I do have some experience in other learning styles and my husband is an excellent source for those that appose my own.  We are a testament to the theory that opposites attract.

So this was a really long introduction to a technique that I use when my toddlers want to paint.  I prefer watercolors for both asthetics and the fact that its much easier to clean up.

It is inevitable, that the cup or bowl of water that is placed by the paints will get knocked over.  Every.Single.Time.  That, or something equally messy.

I'm sure that, like me, you have at least a few medicine syringes sitting around.  Turns out they make an awesome dropper for water to go direcly into the watercolor pallets :)

The kids don't really care about colors mixing and I will rinse the brush or give them a few to choose from.

You can also paint a design in plain water for them and when they run thir paintbrush over the wet paper the color spreads.  Like this...

How do you encourage creativity in your children? Please share your tips!

Parent Shopping Hack

I'm assuming that if you are reading this blog, you likely have children or may be heading that direction. Something that I never considered before having baby #2 is how you are supposed to go grocery shopping  with a baby and toddler. Unless you wear your baby in a carrier, the cart is full of kids!

I'm all for wearing baby, but many times they are asleep when I get that the store and I don't want to wake them by taking them out of the seat. Or its super hot out and I sweat 90% of the day in the dead of winter. Or ( and this is the biggest reason) I'm not comfortable with being put in a situation where baby is on me and I have to wrangle a toddler. Bending over and sometimes having to move very quickly leaves the baby too vulnerable for my liking.

Enter my cart/basket combo.

One day at the store I walked by the stack of baskets and thought that if I could fit that underneath the cart, it would add some needed storage.  As luck would have it, it works at some stores. I feel like it's even been a consideration at our local wegmans.

Now, some stores are not as easy (looking at you Target) so I came up with another idea.

Those little hooks that you can buy to hang things from your stroller can be hung from the handle of the cart to support the handle of the basket (Munchkin Stroller Hook).

This is a bit more combersom, but it is way better than the alternarives.

I'm sure you are familiar with the carts with benches, buggies and also, the dreaded "customer in training" carts? Nope, nope and nope.

The big carts with benches and cars on the front are like 18 wheelers and I get dirty looks and comments from people with my regular cart plus kids taking too long or taking up too much space. 

Also, the cars are germ factories. My kids were never sick until just after I let my oldest ride in one for the first time...after sanitizing. Guess what? Strep.

Side rant: 

Where else besides home and work are you going to find people with families? The grocery store, buying food for said families. Doesn't it stand to reason that you are going to encounter parents and children in the store? People need to stop acting like we don't belong there. Again, dirty looks and comments. And my kids are pretty well behaved. End side rant...

So, if you are tired of trying to fit your stuff in around children and carseats, this may be helpful to you. 

If I'm way behind on this, I apologize. Please don't burst my bubble. I feel like a genius everytime I do it ;)