Fisher-Price and Similac Major Recalls

Major Recalls were announced today on several Fisher Price products. Click here for info on what to do if you own any of the following FP products.

Fisher-Price® Trike Recall

These trikes are intended for children 2 to 5 years of age, with a maximum allowable weight of 55 pounds. They include pretend keys that are located about 3 inches in front of the seat and protrude at least 5/8 inches above the trike body.

A child can strike, sit or fall on the plastic key and be injured.

This recall does not include Lights and Sounds Trikes; Rock, Roll ‘n Ride Trike; Grow-With-Me Trikes; Action Sounds Trike; Push ‘n Pedal Trike. These Trikes do not have a key feature in front of the seat. Any Fisher-Price® Trike with a key located on the handle bars is not affected by this recall.

MODELS INCLUDED IN THIS RECALL

Color may vary. Click here to see images of these Trikes

72633 Hot Wheels™ Trike
B8776 Barbie™ Tough Trike
72639 Barbie™ Free Spirit Trike
K6672 Nick Jr./Dora the Explorer Tough Trike
72642 Lil’ Kawasaki Trike Photo not available
K6673 Go Diego Go!™ Tough Trike
72643 Boys Tough Trike
M5727 Barbie™ Tough Trike Princess Ride-On
72644 Girls Tough Trike Photo not available
N6021 Kawasaki Tough Trike
72792 Kawasaki Trike
T6209 Thomas & Friends™ Tough Trike
B8775 Kawasaki Tough Trike
V4270 Go Diego Go!™ Tough Trike

Healthy Care™, Close to Me™, Easy Clean™ High Chair Recall
Click here for images of high chairs in this recall

Fisher-Price®, in cooperation with the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada are voluntarily recalling Healthy Care™, Close to Me™, and Easy Clean™ High Chairs. These high chairs have a frame that folds flat for storage and a three position reclining seat.

The Healthy Care™, Close to Me™, and Easy Clean™ High Chairs contain tray storage pegs on the rear legs that children can fall on or against resulting in injuries or lacerations.

Only Healthy Care™, Close to Me™, and Easy Clean™ High Chairs with tray storage pegs on the rear legs are included in this recall. No other high chairs are affected.

Healthy Care™ Close to Me™ Easy Clean™
79638, 79639, 79640, 79641,
B0326, B2105, B2875, C4630,
C4632, G4406, G8659, H0796,
H1152, H4864, H7241, K2927,
L1912
H8906
H9178, J4011, J6292, J8229


Little People® Wheelies™ Stand ‘n Play™ Rampway Recall

This recall involves only the purple and green Wheelies™ vehicles marked “Mexico” and do not have a yellow dot on the bottom that are included with the Little People Stand ‘n Play Rampway. The playset includes new Little People® Wheelies™ vehicles with familiar Little People® characters built right in that a child can push down winding ramps.. These products are intended for children 1 ½ to 5 years of age. The Product number (T4261, T5095, V6378) is printed on the toy’s packaging and the bottom of the grey base of the Rampway.

The wheels on the purple and green Wheelies™ vehicles can come off, resulting in small parts which pose a choking hazard to young children.

Only the purple and green Wheelies™ vehicles included with the Little People® Wheelies™ Stand ‘n Play™ Rampway that have “Mexico” and do not have a yellow dot on the bottom are included in this recall. No other Wheelies™ vehicles are affected. The remaining pieces of the Little People® Wheelies™ Stand ‘n Play™ Rampway are not affected.

Inflatable Ball Recall
Click here for images

The Baby Playzone™ Crawl & Cruise Playground™, Baby Playzone™ Crawl & Slide Arcade™, Baby Gymtastics™ Play Wall, Ocean Wonders™ Kick & Crawl Aquarium (C3068 and H8094), 1-2-3 Tetherball and Bat & Score Goal contain inflatable balls, the valve can come off posing a choking hazard.

Only Baby Playzone™ Crawl & Cruise Playground™, Baby Playzone™ Crawl & Slide Arcade™, Baby Gymtastics™ Play Wall, Ocean Wonders™ Kick & Crawl Aquarium (C3068 and H8094), 1-2-3 Tetherball and Bat & Score Goal made before 2008 are included in this recall. No other products are affected.

Little People® Play 'n Go Campsite Recall


The six piece plastic playset includes Sonya Lee, a tent and other accessories. Product number (R6935) is printed on the toy’s packaging.

The plastic Sonya Lee figure in the playset can break at the waist, exposing small parts which pose a choking hazard to young children.

The Sonya Lee figure bends at the waist, a green sweater and purple camera around her neck and has the name Sonya Lee is printed on the underside of the figure.

Only Sonya Lee figures that bend at the waist, have a green sweater and purple camera around the neck are included in this recall. No other Sonya Lee figure is affected. The remaining pieces of the Little People Play ‘n Go Campsite are not affected.

Similac Voluntary Recall -

click here for more info




Abbott is recalling these products following an internal quality review, which detected the remote possibility of the presence of a small common beetle in the product produced in one production area in a single manufacturing facility. The United States Food and Drug Adminstration (FDA) has determined that while the formula containing these beetles poses no immediate health risk, there is a possibility that infants who consume formula containing the beetles or their larvae, could experience symptoms of gastrointestinal discomfort and refusal to eat as a result of small insect parts irritating the GI tract. If these symptoms persist for more than a few days, a physician should be consulted.

Thursday's Beauty Inside and Out Tip of the Week

True beauty comes from within, so the key to a healthy glow may not come from your cosmetics. Your skin is the largest organ of your body. If you nourish your body from the inside out, you will make a difference in the way your skin looks - and ages.

5 Diet Secrets to Healthy-Looking Skin

• Swap Your Carb
Replace refined carbohydrate foods like white bread, cookies, and pasta with their whole-grain cousins. Not only do whole grains provide a lot more anti-aging antioxidants, they also provide the key element of a healthy skin diet - fiber.

"A high-fiber diet with lots of whole grains can help eliminate toxins and act as a detoxifying agent for your body," says nutritionist Tanya Zuckerbrot, who is currently working on her second book F-Factor Beauty Diet. She recommends eating 35 grams of fiber every day.

• Trade In Your Fat
Toss out the bad fats in your diet - saturated and trans fat - and replace them with good fats. Omega 3 fatty acids from fish sources can reduce skin cancer risk, according to nutritionist Elizabeth Somer, author of Age-Proof Your Body. She suggested eating 200 mg of DHA a day - that's equivalent to two servings of salmon a week. While most of us get plenty of omega 6 fatty acids from our diet, Somer stressed the importance of another good fat - linoleic acid - in preventing dry, flaky skin. Linoleic acid can be found in vegetable oils like safflower oil, sunflower oil and olive oil.

• Citri-cize Your Diet
Citrus fruits play an important role in keeping your skin looking young. That's because the antioxidant Vitamin C found in citrus "is involved in the formation of collagen - a protein that binds cells and tissues together", according to nutritionist and Food Network Chef Robin Miller. In other words, collagen helps keep your skin firm and hence reduces wrinkling. Therefore, include more Vitamin C-rich foods such as oranges, grapefruit, kiwis, strawberries, red bell peppers, and broccoli in your diet.

• Keep the Strings and Peels
There are more health reasons to add fruits and vegetables to your diet. Silica found in plant-based foods can help maintain the elasticity of your skin and improve your complexion, suggested Chef Miller. What you probably don't know is that silica is often found in parts that are often discarded - strings and peels. So if possible, enjoy the whole fruit and vegetable, like cucumber skin and the strings of celery and asparagus.

• Stay hydrated
Fluids keep your skin hydrated and help flush toxins. Drink at least 6-8 cups of water every day.

Tiffany Harger
www.tiffanyharger.myarbonne.com

Website Wednesday!

Check in on Wednesday to find some website suggestions for you to visit. Parenting, mothering, crafting, learning, teaching....we have recommendation for you! Also, send an email if you have one, two, or a few to suggest and we will post it!

Here are this weeks- sent in by Tammie!

The Confident Mom

Natural Child

The Soulful Parent

Tuesday Tunes

Mommy & Me Monday: A cute fall tree craft

This is kind of a cheater post, but Amber told me I could do it. Since I've been having problems posting photos on the MOPS blog and since I didn't make a new project with my children to show you this week, I'm linking you to a fall craft I made with my boys about two years ago. I wrote about it on My Montessori Journey blog. This is really fun and really easy to do with young children. As I looked at the photos of the completed trees, I was thinking they would be even cuter if you painted them brown or covered them with brown paper. I hope you have fun trying this with your children.

Thursday's Beauty Inside and Out Tip of the Week

Dark circles under the eyes are attributable to many causes. Allergies, nasal congestion, too much sleep, too little sleep and heredity are among some of the most frequently cited causes.

Eat right…Plenty or proteins, fish and fresh fruit and vegetables (vitamin C and iron) and cutting salt out of your diet will help you look and feel a lot better. Salt dehydrates and vitamins and proteins will help keep the skin firm and looking healthy. Remember to always use an eye cream and drink plenty of H2O for hydration!
Despite the cause, if you don't have time to treat those dark circles before work or a big date, you need to find a way to conceal them.

Instructions

Things You'll Need:
• Special concealer
• Foundation

Choose a Concealer
Choose a lightweight, cream concealer product. Use a yellow tinted concealer to hide dark purple circles, an orange concealer to hide blueish circles and blue, mauve or tan concealers to hide brownish circles. There are even green and light blue products to conceal red under-the-eye circles.

Apply Concealer to Dark Circles

1. Apply the foundation or tinted moisturizer you normally wear to even out your complexion. Blend it as you usually would, without paying any special attention to under the eye. Once your foundation is in place, you should be able to clearly see the dark circles that you need to conceal.

2. Use your specially purchased concealer on the dark circles, applying it in a thin, even coat. This can be accomplished either by using a makeup brush or by patting it on with your finger. I prefer patting as the heat from your finger helps the concealer melt into your skin for a flawless finish.

3. Pay close attention to the area where your eye meets the bridge of your nose. This area tends to have the darkest circles and may need more concealer. Other areas to look at closely are directly under your eye and the outside edge where your eye meets your cheekbone.

4. Powder the concealed areas with a translucent powder, using just enough so that the concealer no longer looks sticky or shiny.

Here’s to beautiful eyes!

Tiffany Harger
www.tiffanyharger.myarbonne.com

Happy Fall Ya'll

Are you doing anything special to welcome the first day of fall?

What traditions does your family do in the fall?

Leave a comment and let us know!

Tuesday Tunes

For Carla :)

Photo Day with My MoJo Photo

Photo Day with My MoJo Photo-- October 23 & October 28

Check out the pics at My MoJo Photo.

This is a great opportunity to get some photos of your children or family in time for the holidays. Joanna takes amazing photos and they will be treasured for years to come. She is offering a special MOPS package for $45. The package includes 8x10, 2 5x7s, and 8 wallets. Additional sheets will be available for $15 (meaning $15 for one 8x10, $15 for 2-5x7s or 4x6s, and $15 for 8 wallets.) Larger prints are available and would be discounted as well.

Please BOOK YOUR SESSION NOW to reserve your time-- email amberloo22@aol.com with time choice and # of people in photo.

Times available are:

October 23rd
9:00 Tanis
9:45 Roni
10:30 Ashley
11:15 Amber
12:30 Christie
3:00
4:15 Lynette
5:00 Anne P.
5:45

October 28th
3:30
4:15
5:00 Leeann
5:45
6:30

Mommy & Me Monday: String a Leaf Garland

Hello, everyone! Hope you are enjoying the cooler weather. Although it's supposed to be pretty hot today, I think. I have come up with a fun little fall activity for you to do with your children. However, I am not having any luck getting the photos to post. I was able to post them on my personal blog. So, if you click through to THIS POST you can read all about it. I think you'll want to try it. It's super easy, super cute, and your kids will love making it to decorate your home for fall.

Mommy Must-Watch!

Book Club

We had a great time on Thursday evening at the movie Eat, Pray, Love. A few of us loved the book and some thought it was just so-so, but I think we all agreed that we enjoyed the movie. Our next book club selection is The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery.

We will be meeting on November 16th at 6:30 @ Stephanie's. Email her for directions~ hope to see you there!

Winter Warm Up

Winter Warm-Up

Saturday, September 25 from 1-4 p.m. is the Winter Warm-Up clothes giveaway. It will be held in Fellowship Hall of Grace U.M. Church. Anyone needing winter clothing, children through adult, will be welcome to select needed coats, blankets, hats, scarves, gloves, sweaters, sweat shirts/pants, winter boots, and jeans at no cost, no questions.

Anyone wishing to donate any of the above items can drop off new and gently used, clean items (in good repair) at Grace UMC. In view of our extreme recent winters, these items are definitely needed and welcome. God bless you for helping others. Volunteers are needed to help set up on Friday at 4:00 p.m.

Questions: Grace UMC 527-4607 or Carolee 527-9916.

Friday's Fit Focus

10,000 Steps Each Day

What does it mean to be sedentary? If you work in an office and sit most of the day, but have active pursuits outside of work, where do you fall in the spectrum? A general guideline is that we should all strive to take 10,000 steps each day. Ten thousands steps is almost five miles based on the average stride length of 2.5 feet. Sedentary individuals take approximately 1,000-3,000 steps a day, which is anywhere from .5-1.5 miles.

To measure how many steps you’re taking each day, try using a pedometer. Many models are very inexpensive and they just clip right onto your clothing. For accuracy, choose a pedometer that you can program to measure your daily distance based on your stride length. (Instructions on how to measure your stride length will be included.)

If you find that you’re falling well short of the recommended 10,000 steps, don’t feel that you have to make huge…um, strides to get to the 10,000 mark. Make an effort to add a couple of hundred steps every few days and work toward your goal slowly but surely.

There are many ways to increase our number of steps. Here are just a few:

 Take a walk with your partner, child, or friend
 Walk the dog
 Use the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator
 Park farther from the store
 If you live in town, just walk to the store!
 Get up to change the channel
 Window shop
 Plan a moms’ walking get-together
 Walk over to visit a neighbor
 Go outside to walk around the garden or do a little weeding
 Wander around your home instead of sitting down while on the phone

The weather is perfect for walking outside right now. Take advantage of it!

Jacque Butler is the owner of JB Fitness in Glenwood, Iowa. http://www.jbfitnessiowa.com/ For tips on fitness & nutrition, you can follow JB Fitness on Facebook.

Thursday's Beauty Inside and Out Tip of the Week

Mineral Makeup has been taking the world by storm in the last few years. It is made up of 100% micronized minerals. The makeup contains no chemicals that are harsh to the skin. One of the key points of Mineral makeup is that you won’t find talc, fillers, rice powders, fragrance, silicones, chemicals, mica, wax, or dye in any of the products. Mineral makeup is suitable for all skin conditions including super sensitive and dry skin.

Many people compare the finish after applying the mineral makeup to the look of an air-brushed looking complexion.

Sometimes mineral foundations can emphasize enlarged pores and fine lines. Here is a tip I use that works like a charm:

Never use a Khabuki brush in applying mineral, instead use a long-handled fluff brush and work quickly all over your face to apply the product.

Next, using an eye cream (or a cream that is concentrated) dab a small amount in between your middle fingers...dab your fingers together to distribute the product until it feels tacky...now dab your fingers over the fine lines (around the laugh lines, fine lines around eyes, between brows).

Then take a clean cosmetic wedge and dab where you applied the cream. Here is what is happening: the mineral foundation is settling in the fine lines emphasizing unwanted areas, then the eye cream is being distributed in the problem areas and adhering to the mineral particles. The dry cosmetic wedge is "pulling" out the unwanted product.

After you do these steps, you need to "set" the mineral. NEVER use just a mineral without setting the product. Try "Awaken" to mist over the face. If you don't have Awaken, try using an Evian water in a spritz bottle. I think JcPenny's used to sell Evian in spray bottles. DO NOT use a toner for this step as it will break-down the foundation. You MUST set a mineral to knock off the excess product and give the overall look of the skin a luminous glow!

Tiffany Harger
www.tiffanyharger.myarbonne.com

MOPS Fall Family Party

The Fall Family Party last year was so much fun! We hope you will join us as we look forward to another great day!

When: Saturday October 16th, 2010

11:00 AM

Where: Garden Treasures- Glenwood

We will be taking a hayrack ride out to the "pumpkin patch" and pumpkins are available for purchase if desired.

Sack lunches are welcome and costumes are welcome!

Please RSVP by October 9th so we have an accurate count.

Tuesday Tunes

Mommy & Me Monday: Muffin Tin Lunch

Do you have a picky eater? If not, please stop now and thank God for giving you such a unique blessing. Then quickly disregard this post or pass it along to a friend with a picky eater. If you DO have a picky eater, here is a great idea for motivating your finicky little one into eating a wider and more healthy variety of food. Make them a muffin tin lunch. This little presentation technique has worked wonders with my youngest son. He eats much more in both variety and quantity when fed this way. It's a really easy concept. Just grab a muffin tin (or even a bunch of those silicone baking cups if you have a fancier variety of kitchen gadgets than me) and fill each space with a separate food. Done! In the tin below my son had (from top left): ranch dressing, baby carrots (yes, they were old and dry), cheese cubes, (bottom row) pretzels, graham crackers and sliced strawberries. I introduced this idea to a friend's son when he was over at our house for lunch one day. He is a pretty picky eater and after trying this at our house he was begging his mom to let him have muffin tin lunch at his house! It is a real hit, so give it a try! (Maybe you'll want to make one for yourself!!)

Looking for comments and feedback!

Each blog post you read on here has an option for you to leave a comment. Your feedback and comments will help us know what you like or enjoy on your MOPS blog.

Several of you have commented to us in person or by email regarding features you like on the blog. By posting your comments at the end of each post, others will be able to read your thoughts or comment back.

For example, you might comment on a one of our "expert" posts about how you have been trying some of their tips or examples and are really enjoying their section. You might want to leave a comment on a parenting/ mommy post about how you agree with something etc.

We realize that some of you are not familiar with the blog world so here are some step by step instructions on how to leave us a comment or some feedback.

At the bottom of each post you will find that it says "1 comment" or "0 comments" etc. You can click directly on this section to post a comment or to read the comments that others have read.

Once you click on "comments" a screen will pop up and you can enter your comment in the box on the right hand side.

After you have typed your comment, you need to "choose an identity".

There are four options-
1. Google account- if you already have a google account you can sign in with this (recommended)
2. Open ID- sign in using other media
3. Name/ URL (recommended)
4. Anonymous- only constructive criticism, or kind words will be published this way

Last, click on "publish your comment" and you are done!

Hopefully, some of you will leave us a few comments and let us know what you do/ don't like about the blog and/ or what you would like to see more of!

Your comments and suggestions are always welcome!

Mentor Mom- Wilma

We are blessed to be in our 6th year of MOPS in Glenwood- all with the loving guidance of wonderful Mentor Mom Wilma. She always finds the perfect devotional to read for us, has the most encouraging words of wisdom, and seems to always remember what is going on in our lives and checks in with us and see how things are going.

A little while ago, I sent her some interview questions. Here is her responses and a peek into her life and a chance to learn a little more about her:

1. My husband is Eugene Kelly. We've been married 50 years as of June 12th, 2010.

2. We have two children. John is 45 and Laura is 41.

3.I taught for 34 years and have volunteered at school the past 7 years since I've been retired.

4. My greatest accomplishment, I hope, is helping students have a love of learning, especially enjoying reading.

5. A couple of hobbies I have that I like to share with others is writing poems and quilting.

6. When my preschooler threw a fit in public I took them away from the situation (place) and talked to them privately. I'd to the same today.

7. I think two things are very important for Moms to remember. One is to be consistent in what you say and do. In other words, if you tell the child they'll be a consequence for a behavior, do it. The second important thing is to let the child know you love them, just that you do not love what they did!

8. Probably the best piece of advice I tried to follow was to recognize, in a postive way, their achievements and skills.

9. The most challenging thing about being a Mom was to always be consistent in what I said and did.

10. The most rewarding part of mothering is experciencing the growth in each child in their skills and seeing them as mature and capable adults. It's also wonderful to be a part of their activities in the different stages of their growth.

11. Yes, I think being a Mom now with grandchildren is easier. Experiencing the love and talents of the grandchildren is like the "frosting on the cake" of being a Mom!!

**Happy Grandparents Day today- Wilma! Thanks for all you do for us Moms!

Glenwood Scarecrow Day

8th Annual Glenwood Squarecrow Day!
Saturday, October 23, 2010

10 a.m. - 12 p.m. Treating on the Glenwood Square, Hayrides, and 4-H games

10 - 11 a.m. Costume Parade Registration @ Legion

11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Chili/Hot Dog Feed @ Legion

11:15 a.m. Costume Parade Line-up and Judging on courthouse lawn

11:30 a.m. Costume Parade around courthouse sidewalk

12 p.m. Costume Parade winners announced & prizes awarded @ Legion

Dallas Holm in Concert
Friday, September 10

Grace United Methodist Church
(112 N. Walnut St., Glenwood, IA)
at 7:00 p.m.

Free Admission - Love Offering to be received
Invite Friends!!

MOPS Bible Study

MOPS will be starting an optional bible study group on Tuesday September 14th. The group will meet on Tuesdays at 9:30 at Grace UMC.

Childcare will be available for a small fee.

The book is available for a discount of $10 and titled Make Over- Revitalizing the Many Roles You Fill. It is from the series "Modern Girl's Bible Study" by Jen Hatmaker. This first bible study should take about 6 weeks to cover.

You can find more info on the author on http://www.jenhatmaker.com/.

Questions about this new group can contact Deena at deena@darmedia.com

Beauty Inside and Out -Thursday Tip

Tip of the week: Basic rule of thumb, the majority of skin tones (80%) are either neutral or warm. Therefore, to counterbalance warm tones (used in N and W foundations) focus on cool pastel shades of pink and lavender eye shadows with pale cranberry lips. If you prefer earth tone shadows, focus on a soft taupe and a deep gray shadow with soft coral lips. Both combos will look great on neutral or warm tones.

Need help determining if your skin tone is cool, neutral or warm? Just email me and I’ll help you figure it out!

Tiffany Harger
http://www.tiffanyharger.myarbonne.com/

Meeting Reminder!

Monthly Meeting tomorrow (Wednesday) at 6:30 PM. Childcare is offered and food will be provided by your steering team! Hope to see you there!

Tuesday Tunes

MOPS Photo Contest

MOPS is hosting the fantastic photo contest again this year. The photos were so fun to look at last year that were submitted!

The categories this year are:

People

Places

Objects/ Nature

The Art & Science of Mothering

You can enter up to one photo per category. Photos in 4 x 6 size works best.

Prizes will be awarded!!!

PMS- Preschool Mom's Survival (Mom's Night Out)

We all know that mothers of preschoolers need a little time away and to themselves to be the best mom they can be, right? This year we are introducing PMS for all of our MOPS moms. PMS stands for Preschool Mom's Survival- a way to have a little fun with friends and keep some sanity in your life!

The activities will vary but the dates are set. Mark your calendars now and plan a little "me time" into your schedule.

September 22- get-together at Connie's house
October 27- get-together at Christie's house
November 4- night out at the movies

January 26- TBD
February 23- TBD
March 23- TBD
April 20- TBD

**Please let us know if you have a suggestion such as movie night or if you are interested in hosting a get-together.

Mommy & Me Monday: Apple Pie Playdough

Hello, MOPS moms! Happy Labor Day! Hopefully you have a fun and relaxing day planned. Today's Mommy & Me activity is making homemade playdough. If you have never tried this before, please give it a go. You may never go back to the store bought kind. I have made homemade playdough using this recipe for years. I love that you can customize it with scents and colors. I will give you some ideas to tweak this basic recipe at the end of this post.

Homemade Playdough

Ingredients:

1 cup flour
1 cup water
1 T. oil
1 T. granulated alum (or cream of tartar.......both are available with the spices in the grocery store)
1/2 cup salt
Food coloring

Scents (You can add vanilla extract, peppermint extract, or any spices you want)

NOTE: For the apple pie playdough I used a BUNCH of apple pie spice as well as extra cinnamon and nutmeg. You will want to add quite a bit so the playdough smells really yummy after it's cooked.

Mix all ingredients together in a saucepan. Stir until combined and until color is mixed through. You may need to add food coloring until you get the desired hue. Once combined, cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. The mixture will start to get really lumpy and hard to stir. Keep stirring until it is pretty much pulling away from the pan (although it will stick to the bottom of your pan) and until you can kind of stir it into a ball. Remove from heat and allow to cool until you are able to touch it comfortably. Once it has cooled a little bit you should knead it until it reaches a nice playdough consistency. If it feels too sticky, don't worry! Just add about 1 T. of flour and knead it until the flour is blended in. Also, some of the stickiness disappears once it completely cools. When you have the consistency you want, allow the playdough to cool enough for your child to play with it. If they are not going to play right away, put it in a sealed container so it doesn't dry out. This recipe will keep for a LONG time in a sealed container.

Playing with playdough is not only fun for your little one, it's a great fine motor activity.

Following are some ideas for maximizing this fine motor experience for your child:

* Add a rolling pin so they can roll out the dough. (1 inch diameter wooden dowels cut into 6 inch lengths make great rolling pins. However, you should seal them with a few coats of clear polyurethane so the dough doesn't stick.)

* Add cookie cutters to cut out shapes.

* Show them how to roll snakes.

* Have them cut the snakes apart with scissors or a dull knife.

* Have them roll small pieces into little balls. (In the photo below I made some little apples and used tiny pieces of twigs for stems. Around Halloween you could make pumpkins with orange pumpkin pie playdough and twig stems.)

* Have them poke holes in the dough with one finger.

* Have them pinch off small pieces of dough.

* Add little plates or small pie tins so they can make pretend food.


Here are a few ideas for tweaking this recipe to provide seasonal variations for your children. If you make them new special playdough every month you will definitely be a contender for "Mom of the Year."

Fall:
Apple pie playdough with apple pie spice, cinnamon, and nutmeg
Pumpkin pie playdough with pumpkin pie spice

Christmas/Winter:
Red or green peppermint playdough with glitter (just add the glitter like any other ingredient)
Snow dough.......just make the recipe with no food coloring and add white or silver glitter (Add some buttons and googly eyes for making snowmen. See THIS POST for photos.)
Gingerbread dough.........add ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg until you get a really spicy scent
Chocolate playdough (Recipe HERE) for valentines day.......add an empty candy box and let them make chocolates to fill it up

Spring/Summer:
Yellow playdough with lemon extract
Chocolate playdough to use as "dirt" for gardening play (See this link to a post I wrote about this on my Montessori blog.)

More ideas:

In THIS POST that I wrote a few years ago on my Montessori blog, I have listed a bunch of ideas for giving playdough as a gift. Scroll down to the end and you will see the list.

Back to School

{Click photo to enlarge}

Heavenly Father,

We thank you for the opportunity
to begin the 2010-2011 school year,
and we ask that you bless
the faculty, the students, and student families.
We ask that you would bless
the youngest and littlest of learners,
the most helpless and powerless of persons,
with Your infinite and loving mercy,
granting them the strength to learn, concentrate,
and act appropriately towards
their teachers and fellow students.
We also ask that You would watch over them,
at home and at school
and grant them proper direction
so that they may learn
of Your wonderful virtues.
We ask this in the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ.

Amen

Labor Day Funnies- For mom

Celebrate this Labor Day by knowing you have the best job ever- being a mom! Please see the following job description from SuperKids~

POSITION: Mother, Mom, Mama

JOB DESCRIPTION: Long term, team players needed, for challenging permanent work in an often chaotic environment.

Candidates must possess excellent communication and organizational skills and be willing to work variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends and frequent 24 hour shifts on call.

Some overnight travel required, including trips to primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in far away cities. Travel expenses not reimbursed. Extensive courier duties also required.

RESPONSIBILITIES: The rest of your life. Must be willing to be hated, at least temporarily, until someone needs $5.
Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly. Also, must possess the physical stamina of a pack mule and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three sec onds flat in case, this time, the screams from the backyard are not someone just crying wolf.
Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges, such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets and stuck zippers.
Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and coordinate production of multiple homework projects.
Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings for clients of all ages and mental outlooks.
Must be willing to be indispensable one minute, an embarrassment the next.
Must handle assembly and product safety testing of a half million cheap, plastic toys, and battery operated devices.
Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst.
Must assume final, complete accountability for the quality of the end product.

Responsibilities also include floor maintenance and janitorial work throughout the facility.

POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT & PROMOTION: Virtually none. Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills, so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE: None required unfortunately. On-the-job training offered on a continually exhausting basis.

WAGES AND COMPENSATION: Get this! You pay them! Offering frequent raises and bonuses. A balloon payment is due when they turn 18 because of the assumption that college will help them become financially independent.

When you die, you give them whatever is left. The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more.

BENEFITS: While no health or dental insurance, no pension, no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and no stock options are offered; this job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth and free hugs for life if you play your cards right.


From Hub Pages:

A lot of people don't realize the work that goes into being a mother. Only a mother knows what a mother really does, and only a mother can tell the story. I've wrote this little tidbit that will hopefully give the rest of the world just a tiny bit of insight on just how hard us mothers actually work!

THE INTERVIEW

The phone rings...

MOTHER: Hello?

INTERVIEWER: Hello, Ma'am. I'm a reporter and we're choosing women at random to give brief accounts of their job descriptions to run in next week's issue of our career paper. Do you have a minute?

MOTHER: Not now, I'm busy!

INTERVIEWER: OK Ma'am, I won't take anymore of your time.

MOTHER: Oh, I'm sorry, I was talking to my two-year old. She's trying to get me to pour her some milk.

INTERVIEWER: Oh, I see. So you're a mother?

MOTHER: I can't just yet, I'll do it in a minute!

INTERVIEWER: Excuse me, what was that?

MOTHER: Oh, my apologies. I was talking to my 4 year old, he needs help wiping his bottom.

INTERVIEWER: Oh, well I'll be brief. First of all, do you work?

MOTHER: Of course I do.

INTERVIEWER: Great! What is your occupation?

MOTHER: I'm a mother.

INTERVIEWER: Oh. But you don't work for pay, right?

MOTHER: I have the highest paying job I know!

INTERVIEWER: But I thought you were a mother. Do you have another occupation?

MOTHER: Isn't that enough?

INTERVIEWER: I suppose. (pause) Well, I'll let you get back to your children Ma'am. I have some interviews to collect.

MOTHER: Wait! Don't you want to hear my job description?

INTERVIEWER: Uhhh.... (Thinking about a potential lawsuit if he should say no) ..... OK, go for it.

MOTHER: Could you hold on just a minute? Let me take care of my son in the bathroom. This should just take a second.

INTERVIEWER: (sighs) OK. I'll wait.

About 5 minutes pass...

MOTHER: I'm back. Whew, that one was above and beyond the call of duty!

INTERVIEWER: I think I'll leave that out of my article.

MOTHER: Good idea.

INTERVIEWER: Well let's hear the job description. (He mutters under his breath), This shouldn't take too long.

MOTHER: I hope you have lots of paper...hmmm. Well, here it goes...

I have the world's most important job. I'm a Manager of Miracles (or MOM for short). I train people for life. I teach them morals and right from wrong. I make sure that they get the proper education that will help them to one day have the ability to rule the world if necessary. I also teach them the small things that go along with good civilization such as good hygiene and manners.

The training process takes a lot of patience and requires me to hold a number of different job titles. I'll share just a few with you for time's sake.

For one thing, I'm a nurse. There are times when my little "trainees" (hereafter referred to as my children or kids), will get scraped knees and little tears will stream down little faces. It is my place to put a colorful bandage on it and kiss it. This has an amazing healing effect. Usually, the child will then wipe their eyes, smile and run back and do the same thing that made them get the scraped knee in the first place. However, there are more difficult times like when my kids have the flu. It is then my place to be on call at any given moment to come and check temperatures, administer medicine, or even hold a barf bag. If I don't get there quickly enough, it may require cleaning messes out of the carpet. I often give up my own sleep to make sure that my child is comfortable.

Also, I'm a referee. Believe it or not, there are times when my little "angels" grow horns. Fights break out between siblings and it's my place to break up the fights and restore the peace.

Sometimes as a MOM, I must be a psychologist. I have to delve into the problems of my children and find the root causes for their behavior and help them change it.

I'm a teacher 24/7. My children are constantly learning from me whether I'm trying to teach them or not. This requires me to be very careful about everything that I do and say, for they learn the bad as well as the good.

Another one of my jobs, and one that I'm really good at is that of an attorney. There are times when the judge, (dad), lays down the law. Although I agree with Judge Dad that punishment must be received for wrongdoings, I look into what caused the child to behave the way they did. I've been know to get "sentences" reduced if the child can present good reasons for why they did what they did. (Judge Dad don't seem to think that this is an attorney role, he thinks it's a soft Mommy's heart).

I'm a chauffeur, a maid, a cook, and....did you say something sir?

INTERVIEWER: ZZZZZzzzzzzzz

MOTHER: Well, I guess he got tired just listening to all I have to do. 'click'

Let's go get your milk now sweetie

Friday's Fit Focus

Fit to Exercise

I used to teach a post-natal group fitness class, which was fun because we were always getting to see new babies come into our group. I remember one client in particular who gave birth to a baby girl during the summer. Because she had a cesarean section, she had a two-week follow up appointment with her OB. When she got home from the appointment, she called to tell me that her physician had approved her to exercise.

“Already?!” I exclaimed. “It’s only been two weeks, and you had a c-section!” The mom elaborated that her OB told her there were two reasons she was ready to come back to class. One was that her incision looked great, had healed perfectly, and there were no concerns about it re-opening. The second—and the one I was most interested in—was that she was in excellent physical condition leading up to her delivery, which enabled a quick and full recovery. She was fit because she exercised regularly before and during pregnancy.

Please don’t misunderstand. Exercising throughout pregnancy does not guarantee that one can get back into a regular fitness routine two weeks post-partum. Typically, women are approved to exercise six to ten weeks after delivery. However, there are exceptions such as this mom. Her doctor did remind her that if any exercise is painful, she should stop it immediately. This, of course, is true for any exerciser.

Terri Isidro-Cloudas points out in an article called The Benefits of Pregnancy Exercise at www.discoveryhealth.com that “Exercising and staying active during your pregnancy can help you with some of the symptoms of pregnancy like feeling tired and sluggish, and gaining too much weight. Exercise during pregnancy is beneficial because it:
• reduces backaches, constipation, bloating, and swelling
• increases energy and stamina
• lifts your spirits and balances your mood
• improves posture
• helps build better muscle tone and strength
• promotes better sleep, and
• gives you a sense of control and self-confidence.”
Group fitness provides a great avenue for exercise during pregnancy. Expectant moms can feel comfortable surrounded by other women—often moms themselves—who are encouraging and supportive. Just be sure to find an instructor who has experience with pre-natal exercisers as there are special considerations to make your workout safe and effective.
I am inspired by women who are successful in taking care of themselves during pregnancy, and modeling their active lifestyles to their babies. It is never too early for that!

Jacque Butler is the owner of JB Fitness in Glenwood, Iowa. http://www.jbfitnessiowa.com/ For tips on fitness & nutrition, you can follow JB Fitness on Facebook.