I have been doing a bit of babysitting this month for a friend of mine. Her toddler is not afraid of monsters and completely understands that the moblin (which is how she says goblin) that lives in the storage closet of my house is not to be disturbed, but is not mean and won't eat her. Unless she's stinky - moblins like stinky things. Did you know?
I am always amazed at the way kids' minds work and the amount of joy they get from the littlest things. Every time I show this little girl something new, she is so delighted and it is so genuine. She is smart and fearless and she told me today that my cat Ricochet is her friend (he's in love with her, so yeah). I think less about the stress in my life when I'm around her and after I drop her off with her mom, I feel lighter, if more sleepy than usual. She makes me use my brain and gets me off my behind and out of the house. I even write better because I'm not sitting in front of the computer all day. It's a nice change. From here on out, I'm going to refer to her as The Moblin on this blog, at least until someone tells me to cut it out (it might end up coming from The Moblin, herself).
Anyway, I have quite a few friends who have kids and I've promised all of them that I will try to include some stuff for kids and parents on this blog whenever I can. This has been a bit difficult for me, as I don't have children of my own yet. But I have been inspired by the moblin child I've been looking after, so I now have a few things to share with you.
California Baby Overtired and Cranky Bubble Bath: I love the smell of this bubble bath - it is very subtle and calming. We tried it out the other day and The Moblin loved it - especially because it comes with a bubble wand. I don't know that the essential oils in this changed her mood at all (she wasn't overtired or cranky at the time), but I can tell you that the next time I'm stressed out, I'm going to use it for my own bath.
LUSH Rocketeer Bath Bomb: I bought one of these when they first came out, then completely forgot about it. Now I'm glad that I did - it was a big hit with The Moblin. It even got her to scrub all over (thanks to the blue foam it left on her skin) and it didn't irritate her skin at all. This bath bomb fizzes and floats around the tub, leaving trails of brightly colored foam in its wake, turning the water blue, then yellow, then green (without leaving a stain in your tub). As with all LUSH bathing products, it left the whole house (and the child) smelling lovely.
Rick's Reads: A Collection from the Blog: Rick Riordan is one of my favorite children's authors (Percy and The Olympians, The Kane Chronicles, The Heroes of Olympus). He has written reviews for a wide variety of books for all ages. I adore Riordan even more now that I know he's a Jim Butcher fan (a great recommendation for anyone who enjoys SFF). He is also a dad and his reviews often reflect whether his kids liked the book he gave them to read, which is pretty darn cool.
We haven't had a chance to try out 123 Favorite Kids Song 1-3 yet, but it's going to be in the rotation fairly soon. We enjoy Disney music, but there is more kids music out there to enjoy and quite a bit of it is educational to boot. Once I've gotten the kid reaction, I'll let you know how this one turned out. I'm pretty sure it will be well-received, considering how many songs I recognize from my own childhood from the very long list.
I am always amazed at the way kids' minds work and the amount of joy they get from the littlest things. Every time I show this little girl something new, she is so delighted and it is so genuine. She is smart and fearless and she told me today that my cat Ricochet is her friend (he's in love with her, so yeah). I think less about the stress in my life when I'm around her and after I drop her off with her mom, I feel lighter, if more sleepy than usual. She makes me use my brain and gets me off my behind and out of the house. I even write better because I'm not sitting in front of the computer all day. It's a nice change. From here on out, I'm going to refer to her as The Moblin on this blog, at least until someone tells me to cut it out (it might end up coming from The Moblin, herself).
Anyway, I have quite a few friends who have kids and I've promised all of them that I will try to include some stuff for kids and parents on this blog whenever I can. This has been a bit difficult for me, as I don't have children of my own yet. But I have been inspired by the moblin child I've been looking after, so I now have a few things to share with you.
California Baby Overtired and Cranky Bubble Bath: I love the smell of this bubble bath - it is very subtle and calming. We tried it out the other day and The Moblin loved it - especially because it comes with a bubble wand. I don't know that the essential oils in this changed her mood at all (she wasn't overtired or cranky at the time), but I can tell you that the next time I'm stressed out, I'm going to use it for my own bath.
Classic Disney, Vol. 1: 60 Years of Musical Magic: The Moblin knows all the melodies to these songs, but is now also learning the words. She has most of Part of That World down (she knows more than I do). I'm very sad that this doesn't include Poissons from The Little Mermaid (I'll have to get Vol. 3 for that), but at least it's got Under the Sea. Sorry, we're big on Ariel this week. This doesn't have all my favorites, but it does have a lot of hers and that's more important...I guess.
Rick's Reads: A Collection from the Blog: Rick Riordan is one of my favorite children's authors (Percy and The Olympians, The Kane Chronicles, The Heroes of Olympus). He has written reviews for a wide variety of books for all ages. I adore Riordan even more now that I know he's a Jim Butcher fan (a great recommendation for anyone who enjoys SFF). He is also a dad and his reviews often reflect whether his kids liked the book he gave them to read, which is pretty darn cool.We haven't had a chance to try out 123 Favorite Kids Song 1-3 yet, but it's going to be in the rotation fairly soon. We enjoy Disney music, but there is more kids music out there to enjoy and quite a bit of it is educational to boot. Once I've gotten the kid reaction, I'll let you know how this one turned out. I'm pretty sure it will be well-received, considering how many songs I recognize from my own childhood from the very long list.
This post is for Sarah, a very sweet lil moblin. For Tepi, who always trusts my book recommendations for her kids. And, of course, for Tam-Tam and Wyatt - sorry it took me so long to write this!
three kid ideas (no four)...1. make a moblin with your kids. marshmallow goblin...obviously. 2. indie rock coloring book. color and listen to the artist's page you're coloring. http://www.yellowbirdproject.com/products/indie-rock-coloring-book
ReplyDelete3. read amazing stories and make revolting projects...like this http://www.wemadethis.co.uk/blog/2010/11/ministry-of-stories-hoxton-street-monster-supplies/ and this...http://826valencia.org/store/ 4. duh, make a fort. always the most exciting thing. make it super cozy...
1. Awesome. 2. Awesome. 3. Awesome. 4. I have duct tape and the moment it's not hot out - that's exactly what we're going to do.
DeleteI have some newer products to add to this. LUSH bath bombs, or ballistics, (made without soap) are a great way to deal with bathtime. So far we've tried Rocketeer (mentioned in this post), Tisty Tosty, Phoenix Rising and Ickle Baby Bot. The kid is happy, I get a decent chance to wash her hair while she's distracted by the fizzing, and the ballistics won't irritate her skin, even if we use them frequently. That said, I need to save some for myself...
ReplyDelete