Oh my god with the toothbrushing. Why, why, why is this such a chore?

We’ve been brushing teeth with Peanut for four years and two months. And we have tried the following tricks, in order, to win over a resistant child:

1. brush his teeth hanging him upside down
2. sing a song while brushing
3. get a flashing firefly toothbrush
4. brush like animals (elephant brushes slowly and heavily, hummingbird quickly and lightly, platypus changes each time because what the f*%#?)
5. you brush then we brush
6. count teeth while we brush
7. tell a long story while we brush
8. play red light, green light dance-style while we brush (green light, you dance while I brush; red light you stop while I brush the tough parts)

And I swear to his future periodontist, I’m gonna let these baby teeth fall out of his head before I invent another game to get these stupid, no-good, replaceable, temporary, cookie-begging teeth clean.

Sure, offer your tricks below. Please. But I can’t pretend I have the energy for anything really creative, so skip the eighteen-part games even if you swear by them. Simple, please. Be gentle with me.

Whenever S is out of town, I indulge myself and G by inviting her to sleep on the bed  with me each night.  She is the most snuggly little critter, and I love how her little dog body can take up one complete side of the bed.  Most of the time we have uneventful nights. Of course, there have been a handful of times where I’ve kicked her off the bed because of her snoring and she’s tried to do the same.  And then there was when I was pregnant with O, she didn’t sleep peacefully at all; she raised her head at every little creak in the house ready to defend against all odds.  I guess that should have been our first indication that G was going to be a great nanny.

With S gone, G has swiftly moved in to fill his shoes.  When O wakes from his naps, G comes straight to me and then leads the way to the closed bedroom door (as if I couldn’t hear him!).  And last night, poor thing, I had invited her up on the bed, meaning it to be a big treat.  But O was up at 10 p.m., and at 3, and again at 5.  And each time I got up, she would hop off the bed and take her post at the top of the stairs, awaiting my return from the kitchen with O’s bottle.  She would then follow me into his room and collapse in an exhausted heap between us and the door.  By the end of the night (I mean, early morning) I felt sorry for her.  I think she was getting even less sleep than me.  So I put her in her crate (her usual sleeping spot) and rubbed the top of her head.  As I crawled back into my own bed, she let out the most content, and sleepy, little sigh.  Out little G was ready for a little shut eye.

From now on, I’ll let G have nights off.  But as long as S is gone, she is ON DUTY during the day.  O has gotten to the stage where he cries the minute he thinks we have left him in a room alone.  So I strategically ask G to sit (and WAIT) somewhere between O’s line of sight and the exit to the room.  That way as I leave, she catches his eye.  And he smiles and forgets about me. You may be thinking at this point, poor dog!  Can’t she just go chase squirrels and snooze on her mat?  Well, rest assured, G is well-paid for her efforts. Our little Nanny McG has been making a killing in cooked chicken and sweet potato treats! 

So, let’s face it. Easter is getting gross. In Target the other day I counted 10 different colors of Peeps alone. There were five full aisles of candy and plastic junk, all marketed as necessary for the ideal Easter celebration. The reason we celebrate Easter depends on who we are spiritually, historically, and religiously. But the mass marketing of this holiday, as with most of our American style celebrations, has gotten completely out of hand. In our family, Easter is a celebration of the changing of the seasons, the re-emergence of butterflies and birds, and the return to more time spent in the natural world. After my visit to Target left me feeling completely devoid of any sense of natural wonder, I went seeking some ideas for bringing nature back into our Easter celebration. Because the egg is both a symbol of rebirth and one of the benchmarks of the holiday, I focused my energy there. What I found were some easy ways to take typical Easter traditions back down to Earth.

1. Onion skin easter eggs. Cray Pas isn’t the only way to dye Easter eggs. There are plenty of nature based dyes that work great on your eggs, and don’t leave you wondering what yucky junk has seeped through your shells. We tried yellow onion skins this year and they turned out beautiful! Boil red or yellow onion skins in a pan with enough water to cover your eggs. Once the water comes to a boil, simmer for about 15 minutes and then leave the skins to soak. Overnight soaking works the best. To get the most dramatic effect, keep your eggs uncooked until you are ready to dye them. Then bring the mixture back to a boil and hard boil the eggs with the skins and colored water. You can add a little vinegar to set the dye. We used water to stick some fresh leaves onto our eggs and covered the eggs with panty hose to hold the leaves on before we dyed them. This made gorgeous leaf prints on our eggs. Other natural items you can use with basically the same directions include blueberries, beets, and red cabbage leaves.

2. Recycled baskets. Instead of buying new baskets for Easter loot, try using old materials to make some. One method is a typical basket weave using old newspapers. To learn a traditional basket weave, check out http://www.basketweaving101.net/Site%203/howto.html. To use recycled newspapers or magazines in your weave, simply cut strips of paper the right length and about 5 times as wide as you want them to be. Then roll and flatten to make the right width and add some thickness and stability before weaving together.

3. Egg carton planters. Use your egg cartons to celebrate spring by planting some seedlings. Remove the lid of the carton, add soil and seedlings to each cup and watch them sprout. Choose seedlings appropriate to the season that you can replant outdoors.

4. Egg shell mosaics. After your Easter celebration is over, use your discarded egg shells to make mosaic masterpieces. Just save your peeled egg shells, divide them by color, and lay them out with some glue and paper. A spring theme is a great way to go to celebrate the season. Masterpieces will ensue!!!

5. Nature decoupage eggs. Take the kids out on a scavenger hunt to find pretty fallen leaves and other natural items that will lay flat or bend. Some examples include flower petals (don’t pick, find them in the flower bed, especially after it rains), small thin twigs that will still bend, and leaves from weeds like dandelions. Hardboil your eggs first to make them more resilient. Use a non-toxic glue  to apply your natural elements to the shells.

These are just a few simple ideas to help bring a little nature back into the Easter celebration. We’ll be posting more on connecting children with the natural world and the cycle of the seasons this spring. Enjoy!