Kids books recommended by Tricia Mumby et al

at the post Reading to your small people

cloth clothing labels

http://www.namemaker.com/productcart/pc/viewCategories.asp?idCategory=25

pencil test program - Monkey Jam

Recommended in the comments section of one of Uncle Eddie's Theory Corner posts

http://www.giantscreamingrobotmonkeys.com/monkeyjam/about.html

Mangled javascript in Blogger

I was having issues getting some Javascript to work in my Blogger template. It appears I'm not the only one.

There's a great post here that explains the solution to my problem.

Beta Blogger doesn't like " for literal strings in JavaScript so I replaced them with ' and also \" with plain " and it now works fine.

The same fix worked for me too! Thanks jacquie for taking the time to post the solution!

When An Infant or Child is Accidentally Locked in A Car With The Keys

Read the orignal post Break Out: When An Infant or Child is Accidentally Locked in A Car With The Keys

Summary:
#1- DO NOT PANIC.
#2- NOTE THE TIME.
#3- CALL 911.
#4- COVER THE WINDOWS WITH BLANKETS OR TARPS AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE
#5- REMEMBER YOU CAN BREAK A WINDOW- BUT DO IT ONLY WITH PLANNING AND EXTREME CAUTION. #6- ONCE YOUR CHILDREN ARE OUT OF THE CAR- REHYDRATE AND GRADUALLY COOL THEM.
#7- MAKE SURE YOU'RE OKAY BEFORE YOU DRIVE.
#8- LEARN WHAT YOU CAN, ADAPT FOR THE FUTURE, AND FORGIVE YOURSELF.

BE PROACTIVE:
-Stash a spare key on your car.
-Stash a spare key in your wallet.
-Hook the keys to your person.
-Load a couple useful items into your car in case this happens to someone near you.


The original article is worth your time, go read it!

Break Out: When An Infant or Child is Accidentally Locked in A Car With The Keys

Wake up, me!

Wake Up, Me! by Marni McGee (Author), Sam Williams (Illustrator)

Love this book with the charming storyline of a family's start to their day. Beautifully illustrated!

Maple Syrup Festivals

Where we went this year:
http://www.maplesyrupfestival.com/local_amenities.cfm (Warkworth)

Others:

http://www.mississauga.ca/portal/home/homecalendar?paf_gear_id=12700032&itemId=33500023
Mississauga's maple syrup festival! Come witness the magical process of turning sunshine into sweet maple syrup. Daily historical demonstrations, horse drawn wagon rides and more all at the Bradley Museum

http://www.ontariomaple.com/festivals2001.html

Here are my hands

tHere Are My Hands by Bill Martin (Author), John Archambault (Author), Ted Rand (Illustrator)

"Here are my hands for catching and throwing..."

Beautifully illustrated rhyme for teaching body parts.



NTS: Full text can be found here. Additional images commented out by HTML.

Here's the world for ya

By The Payola$.

Here's the world
I can only help you go so far
Try to teach you wrong from right
How to take each day like a brand new day

Don't worry 'bout me
'Cause who could ever ask for more?
Listen to these words that I write
They'll be no tears in my eyes tonight

Don't let them fool you
Don't let them tell you that you'll never go far

Here's the world for ya
Here's the world for ya
Go tell them who you are

Here's the world for ya
Here's the world for ya
Go be a shining star


Take all my love
Carry it inside of you
Know that I will always be there
Know that I will always care

Don't let them fool you
Don't let them tell you that you'll never go far

Here's the world for ya
Here's the world for ya
Go tell them who you are

Here's the world for ya
Here's the world for ya
Go tell them who you are
[Go tell them who you are]

Here's the world for ya
Here's the world for ya
Go be a shining star


And if I ever did wrong
Please forgive me now
Before I am gone

And if I ever did right
Tell me with a smile
That will light up this night
Light up this night

Here's the world for ya
Here's the world for ya
Go tell them who you are

Here's the world for ya
Here's the world for ya
Go be a shining star

Reach out and 'ping' someone

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070209.CAPING09/TPStory/?query=reach+out+and+ping+someone

Reach out and 'ping' someone
Keeping in touch with clients or prospects is an essential part of working life. JIM GRAY offers some tips on how to do it right
JIM GRAY

Sheep Out to Eat

Sheep Out to Eat by Nancy E. Shaw (Author), Margot Apple (Illustrator)

"Five sheep stop at a small teashop..."

Fun rhymes describing the misadventures of sheep in a tea shop!

Create your own motivational poster

http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/motivator.php
as seen here: http://www.quietfish.com/notebook/?p=729

CRA: eServices for Small Businesses

http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/eservices/

Filing a return or making a remittance
Registering a business
Payroll deductions
Getting information
Refunds and payments

Indoor carnival

from this post:
http://dontletsstart.blogspot.com/2006/05/no-we-didnt-have-baby-but-we-did-have.html

Ticket booth (Big roll of tickets, striped paper bags to carry prizes -- which meant I didn't have to prepare loot bags in advance -- and a CD playing circus calliope music Greg downloaded for free. Each attraction/activity was 1 ticket, but we gave them out liberally. Mostly it was just for effect.)Bounce house (minimal living room furniture, high ceilings and a small bounce house the kids got for Christmas a while back made this possible)

Face paintingClown photo board (the only real "project" involved, made from leftover gift wrap and balloons; the pictures of kids will be sent out with the thank-you cards)
http://static.flickr.com/55/142410203_330750f2d3.jpg?v=0

Balloon stand, hot dog/popcorn stand

Bean bag tossPrize walk (like a cake walk, only with bulk toy prizes, with music from Laurie Berkner, kids' music superstar)

Deep Sea Treasure Diving Adventure (last-minute brilliant idea using our pop-up playhut with a tunnel, some plastic balls and toy prizes, and snorkeling equipment)

Soccer in the park

from this post: http://thestar.blogs.com/parenting/2006/05/prepare_to_get_.html

Soccer in the park: (or baseball or Capture the Flag or whatever your kid is into). Bring drinks and freezies in a cooler and big bags of junk food (they never eat real food at birthday parties anyway) and birthday cupcakes. Play. And play. Then eat. And play some more. If some kids get fed up, have contests like soccer shoot-outs or races or just go on the playground equipment. Who ever gets tired of the monkey bars anyway? Don't forget to pray it doesn't rain.

Soccer in the park

from this post: http://thestar.blogs.com/parenting/2006/05/prepare_to_get_.html

Soccer in the park: (or baseball or Capture the Flag or whatever your kid is into). Bring drinks and freezies in a cooler and big bags of junk food (they never eat real food at birthday parties anyway) and birthday cupcakes. Play. And play. Then eat. And play some more. If some kids get fed up, have contests like soccer shoot-outs or races or just go on the playground equipment. Who ever gets tired of the monkey bars anyway? Don't forget to pray it doesn't rain.

Space Party

from this post: http://thestar.blogs.com/parenting/2006/05/prepare_to_get_.html

The space party: You get a couple of mega-cardboard cartons from an appliance store. Ask the guests to bring a bike helmet. When they arrive, you adorn their helmets with foil. Then they build a rocket and cut out some windows. They decorate it with sparkles and streamers and markers and stickers. Then they put on their "space helmets" and you count down to blast off about 500 times and they go in and out and and in and out. This will keep them amused for
many minutes. Trust me. And after that you can play pin the astronaut on the moon and have an asteroid hunt (for silver Hershey kisses) and play statues by "moon-walking" to the theme from 2001 A Space Odyssey. If all goes well, you'll barely have time for cake.

Pass the parcel

from the comments on this post: http://momm-eh.blogspot.com/2007/01/party-game-ideas-for-3-year-olds.html

http://www.haloscan.com/comments/mothership/549656828874246682/#234888

Sit in a circle, pass around a parcel loosely wrapped in layers of paper. When the music stops, the kid holding the parcel takes off a layer of paper - the 2 year olds and 3 year olds probably need adult help so they don't unwrap the whole thing. You could use gift bags and fabric bags and boxes for some of the layers. In the middle you should have treats or mini toys for all to share.

http://www.haloscan.com/comments/mothership/549656828874246682/#234890

with the additional twist I saw done once where the child who unwraps gets a task to do -- you have a list of tasks and give the right one to each child. Things like, "sing ABC" or "twirl around" or "make a funny face." You control the music to make sure each child gets one turn. Birthday child gets a second turn at the end and opens the box of treats and hands them out.

Treasure hunt

from the comments on this post: http://momm-eh.blogspot.com/2007/01/party-game-ideas-for-3-year-olds.html

http://www.haloscan.com/comments/mothership/549656828874246682/#234871
We did a treasure hunt with Tommy and his friend. I took pictures of lots of things in our house and then taped those pictures around the house for them to navigate. So, for example, they started with a picture of the kitchen chairs. When they went to the chairs, they found a picture of the fridge. When they got to the fridge, they found a picture of the couch, etc. Eventually they got to a pile of stuffed animals marked with an X-marks-the-spot. They dug through the animals until they found two treasure chests filled with Mardi Gras beads and fake gold coins.

You could probably have the kids follow the course in small groups if you have too many kids to do it all at once. I'm pretty sure you could do it all in one room if you used small pictures on small items (or people) throughout the room. It doesn't matter if they can see where the final X is. Following the path seemed to be the fun part.

Safari hunt

from the comments on this post: http://momm-eh.blogspot.com/2007/01/party-game-ideas-for-3-year-olds.html

http://www.haloscan.com/comments/mothership/549656828874246682/#234860
One that worked at my son's party was using some of the gazillion stuffed animals that seem to multiply exponentially in my home, jungle themed and put them in various places around the house, take digital photos of the animals print them on a sheet table style with big squares beside them, give the kids bingo dabbers and have them look for the animals. We also made binoculars out of toilet paper rolls and yarn (taped together, punch holes & attach yarn)and marked the kids names on them and had them decorate them with stickers before starting the search.

Another option is buying inexpensive bugs at the dollar store, and do the same hide & seek kind of thing, we were going to use those giant bug puppets from Price Club and then have little containers of the dollar store bugs near them for the kids to collect 1 each and put it their dollar store bugbox (and party favor!)

Action games

from the comments on this post: http://momm-eh.blogspot.com/2007/01/party-game-ideas-for-3-year-olds.html

http://www.haloscan.com/comments/mothership/549656828874246682/#234859

Simon says. Follow the leader. Duck Duck Goose...Hard to do inside but it is fun. Or just turn on some music and show them how to dance

Fishing Pool

from http://groups.yahoo.com/group/tomama/message/3018

It is called "FishingPool". You just hang a sheet or a tablecloth at waist height (we draped ours ontwo kitchenchairs in a corner). One parent is behind the cloth and another is with thechildren on theother side of the tablecloth. You also need a "fishing pole" (we used a lightbamboo doweland attached a ribbon with a clothes pin tied to the end). Ask the children totake turnsfishing and hand them the rod. When they hang the "rod" over the cloth, theadult behindthe cloth attaches a small gift that they can reel in. The kids really seemed to like the game and it helped take the edge off the gift unwrapping part of the partybecause eachguest received a little gift. Easiest is to have gifts that girls and boys wouldlike--stickers,crayons, small books and a few extra.

Is your mama a llama?

Is Your Mama a Llama? by Deborah Guarino (Author), Steven Kellogg (Illustrator), Amy Madigan (Narrator)

"Is your mama a llama?" I asked my friend Dave..."

Fun rhymes and introduction to animals (bat, swan, cow, llama)

Hand, hand, fingers, thumb

Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb by Al Perkins (Author), Eric Gurney (Illustrator)

"Hand Hand Fingers Thumb One thumb One thumb Drumming on a drum..."

Fun rhymes and wonderful illustrations.

Mom run businesses

Canadian mom run, home-based businesses

• http://www.network54.com/Forum/440296/thread/1158343540/last-1166797387/Home-Based+Businesses

Other mom businesses

• http://www.mommychats.com/directory/
• http://www.sharingmom.com/

Polar Bear Night

Polar Bear Night (New York Times Best Illustrated Books (Awards)) by Lauren Thompson (Author), Stephen Savage (Illustrator)

"THE NIGHT IS KEEN AND COLD..."

Stunning illustrations. Beautiful prose describing a young polar bear cub's adventures in the still of the night, involving star showers and northern lights.

Zoom zoom zoom

Zoom, zoom, zoom,
We're going to the moon.
Zoom, zoom, zoom,
We're going to the moon.

If you want to take a trip,
Climb aboard my rocket ship.
Zoom, zoom, zoom,
We're going to the moon.

Countdown: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1,
Blast off!

Zoom, zoom, zoom,
We're going to the moon.
Zoom, zoom, zoom,
We're going to the moon.

Upside down and all around,
I'll take you where the stars are found.
Zoom, zoom, zoom,
We're going to the moon.

Countdown: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1,
Blast off!

Lyrics: Racing Day (Backyardigans)

"Racing Day" by The Backyardigans

Racing Day, it's Racing Day,
Racing Day, it's Racing Day,
It's not nervous pacing day,
Today's the day we race.

I'm ready to race a long, long race,
This race goes almost every place,
It's fast, it's fun, it's fast, its far,
It starts out right here where we are.

When the finish line's unfurled,
You will have raced around the world,
When we finish this long, long race,
I hope, I hope I'll take first place.

Racing Day, it's Racing Day,
Racing Day, it's Racing Day,
It's not sausage casing day,
Today's the day we race (x3).

****************************

Racing Day, it's Racing Day,
Racing Day, it's Racing Day,
It's not picture tracing day,
Today's the day we race.

Goin' somewhere that's not here,
And while we do the crowd will cheer,
Through the forest, over the snows,
Across the ocean and then who knows?

Whoever is the first around,
Will get to make that victory sound.
Da da-da-da! is what they'll say,
At the end of Racing Day.

Racing Day, it's Racing Day,
Racing Day, it's Racing Day,
It's not puppy chasing day,
Today's the day we race (x3).

****************************

Racing Day, it's Racing Day,
Racing Day, it's Racing Day,
It's not doily lacing day,
Today's the day we race.

A long, long, long, long way we've come,
To get back where we started from,
We raced real hard but now it's time,
To break that tape and cross that line.

Racing Day, it's Racing Day,
Racing Day, it's Racing Day,
It's not self-effacing(?) day,
Today's the day we race (x3).

Lyrics: Teddy Bears' Picnic

Teddy Bears' Picnic

If you go down to the woods today
You're sure of a big surprise.
If you go down to the woods today
You'd better go in disguise.

For ev'ry bear that ever there was
Will gather there for certain, because
Today's the day the teddy bears have their picnic.

Ev'ry teddy bear who's been good
Is sure of a treat today.
There's lots of marvelous things to eat
And wonderful games to play.

Beneath the trees where nobody sees
They'll hide and seek as long as they please
Cause that's the way the teddy bears have their picnic.

If you go down to the woods today
You'd better not go alone.
It's lovely down in the woods today
But safer to stay at home.

For ev'ry bear that ever there was
Will gather there for certain, because
Today's the day the teddy bears have their picnic.

Picnic time for teddy bears
The little teddy bears are having a lovely time today
Watch them, catch them unawares
And see them picnic on their holiday.

See them gaily gad about
They love to play and shout;
They never have any care;

At six o'clock their mummies and daddies,
Will take them home to bed,
Because they're tired little teddy bears.

(words by Jimmy Kennedy - 1932, music by John W. Bratton - 1907)

Parenting: Don'ts

Thanks to Andrea Gordon for pointing us to this reference.

10 Parenting techniques for the garbage can

http://www.parent-teen.com/parents/elivesay2.html

Parenting: Do's

Thanks to Andrea Gordon for pointing us to this reference.

10 excellent parenting techniques:

http://www.parent-teen.com/parents/elivesay.html

Bees and Pest Control

http://canada411.yellowpages.ca/business/0%2C1/174447.html?what=&where=&src=&stype=re

Bees & Pest Removal - hive removal

Address : Toronto, ON Telephone : 416-410-8185
Payment Options : american express, mastercard, visa
Category : Beekeepers , Beekeepers' Supplies , Pest Control
Services Directory : North York , Toronto Central - East , Toronto Central - West

Science fun: mentos + soda = explosion

I'm old enough to never have done this in school, but I hear it's big in science classes these days.

I first read about it in The Star's article "Pepsi and Mentos -- How a high-school teacher's science experiment became an Internet phenomenon and taught kids about nucleation sites along the way."

The first paragraph reads:

Before hitting the big time, the "Mentos effect" was a schoolteacher's gimmick to make 13-year-olds listen up in science class. Drop an unwrapped roll of Mentos into a freshly opened 2L bottle of soda and stand back. The pop becomes a geyser of foam guaranteed to soak the ceiling of anybody foolish enough to try it indoors.

And the obligatory Google search turned up a bazillion sites describing this experiment.

But my favourite one is this from EepyBird.com. Two-hundred liters of Diet Coke combined with over 500 Mentos mints. It's amazing and completely insane.

Blogger hacks: label cloud

http://phy3blog.googlepages.com/Beta-Blogger-Label-Cloud.html

A most excellent and easy to follow post about implementing a label cloud in Beta Blogger!

Helpful hints: wasp deterrent

The Waspinator:

http://www.waspinator.com/

alternately, hang a inflated brown-paper bag in the area.

Wasps are territorial and will think that's another hive and steer clear.

web tools: categorization

Squidoo: http://www.squidoo.com/browse/homepage



This Next: http://www.thisnext.com/

web ads: promoting web toons

Carl Ray (Fish Tank) on web promotion

web ads: generating revenue

Google Ad tutorials from Joey deVilla

Shopping: personalized fortune cookies

Allow at least two weeks for delivery.

http://www.weddingthings.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=WeddingThings&Product_Code=CF028

Shopping: personalized M&Ms

Minimum order of four bags.

http://www.mymms.com

Helpful hints: fruit fly trap

Check out Brenda's helpful and easy to follow instructions for creating a humane trap for fruit flies (and a way to get rid of old junk mail envelopes!)

Did you know that fruit flies can breed in your drains?

------------------------------

Alternate trap:

Place a piece of fruit in a dish or short glass and cover with plastic wrap. Pierce the plastric wrap with a skewer, making small holes. The flies can get in but can't get back out.

Quote: Inspirational

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.

- Dr. Seuss

Web Tools: batch / bulk HTML validation

A service which allows you to validate the HTML of your entire website with just one click of a mouse!

"Announcing the alpha release of a service that does bulk/batch HTML
validation, link checking and more. During alpha testing, the service is
free!

Anyone interested in whole-site validation should check out http://www.NikitaTheSpider.com/ where you can learn more about the service and have your site crawled."

Blogs: memes and more

Book-Tag Meme as seen at Integral Options Cafe
Meme/tag: Six songs as seen at desperate hours productions blog

Health: sunscreen tip

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/5190214.stm

"They found rubbing sunscreen on does not offer even protection and letting a white film dry on was much better. "


"They found that when the sunscreen was rubbed in it offered almost zero protection because the cream accumulated in lines and sweat glands and did not offer even protection. "

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Links: parenting sites

• Cdn moms links
• Fun 4 Mums
• Mommy Biz's
• Parents in BC
• Savvy Mom
• T.O. Mama
• Urbanmoms.ca
• TheWholeMom.com