How to Create a Kid's Wall Calendar for Homeschooling

When my sons were 1 & 2 years old, I decided to create a calendar to help the kids keep track of how many days until their baby sister would be born. I also wanted to help them learn their days of the week. I wasn't able to find what I was looking for pre-packed at the store, so I decided to make my homeschooling calendar from scratch.

First, I bought a poster with the days of the week and calendar spots on it. I laminated it at the store. I wanted each month to have a different theme for the numbers (such as shamrocks for March), so I bought a number packets for each of the months, cut-outs with the names of the months, and holiday cut-out squares (i.e. the Saint Patrick's Day square pictured on the calendar on the right).

Next, I bought velcro and applied velcro to the back of every spot on the blank calendar poster. I applied the other side of the velcro to every calendar number.

I also took a star cut-out (as seen in the second photo) and drew a face on it and marked it "today". This is our "Today Star". I then applied velcro to the back of the today star, and added velcro to the tops of all the calendar numbers so that the Today Star would stick on top of each of the numbers.

The kids would move the today star every day to help them to know what the date was. Having the Today Star also helped them count down to events such as birthday, holidays, and family gatherings.

After we had the calendar set up, my then almost 3 year old very quickly learned the days of the week, what today was as well as tommorow, and learned to keep track of dates and time very well.

Each month the kids would get SO excited to put up new calendar numbers- hearts for February, Fish for June, Candy Corn and Pumpkins for October... they thought it was great fun to put those numbers up! They also enjoyed making a crafts that went along with the theme that we could decorate the wall with.

Despite all the work making a homeschooling calendar like this took, it was well worth it. Having the homeschool calendar up helped our boys learn their dates, counting, and time very quickly, and they also had a blast using it!

Quick tip: if you decide to make a calendar like this, pay extra and buy the velcro that's already cut into dots. Trust me, it is WELL worth the cost difference from buying the type you have to cut!!!

*Have a homeschool calendar you use already? I'd love to hear about it. Whether you bought one pre-packaged, or created your own, feel free to share what your family uses for a homeschool wall calendar!

10 Signs That It's Time To Have A Garage Sale

10. Your sons have AT LEAST 20 Blue's Clues stuffed animals from when your husband and his brother had a contest to see who could find the most Blue's Clues stuff vs. Barney- and your husband "won"!

9. You decided to clean out your children's closets and you filled 8 plastic sacks with stuff you don't even use.

8. You have so many things stored in the garage that you can't even park your car inside!

7. You finally accept that your pre-pregnancy clothes will never ever ever fit again after 4 children.

6. You come to the conclusion that if a baby clothing item hasn't been worn by any of the 4 children you already have, it's probably never going to get worn by any other child you have.

5. Your children have so many stuffed animals on their bed that there's little room for them to lie down.

4. You own way more VHS tapes than someone without a working VHS player ought to.

3. After 4 kids, you've realized that little babies don't need 30+ baby toys- they're just as happy to chew on their brothers' duplos and fire trucks.

2. You're tired of paying someone else to store your stuff that you never use.

1. You want to make extra money so you can buy other people's junk stuff which will end up in your next garage sale!

10 Tips for Visiting a New Mom

Have a friend or family member that's getting ready to have a new baby?
Here are some tips to keep in mind when you visit the new mom and baby:

10. Call first
Make sure the new mother is up for visitors and see what time works best for her and Baby.

9. Don't come during the first few hours after the baby is born unless you're asked to. Mom, Dad, and Baby need some time to bond before being flooded with visitors.

8. Consider bringing a gift
For the new baby and mom! It doesn't have to be expensive- even a note for the baby & parents or a flower picked from your garden shows thoughtfulness.

7. Knock when arriving for your visit in case the baby is nursing or the new mom is resting. If something has happened and the new parents are no longer up for visitors, be understanding and leave a note or gift with the nurse (or family member of the new baby) and offer to visit another time.

6. Pay attention to the new mom and dad and not just the baby!!!
With all the crazy hormones going through the new mom's body, she needs a little love and affirmation too. Ask her how she's doing, tell her she did a great job, or even just sit down and talk with her for a minute. This helps the new momma to feel loved and special too.

5. Wash your hands before you enter the room and before you leave!
This applies even after the baby is back at home. Always wash your hands before touching the baby!

4. If the baby is ill and in the NICU, DON'T ask to go into the NICU to see the baby unless the family offers (or unless you are a grandparent, aunt, uncle, or sibling of the new baby).

3. Ask if there's anything you can help with.
I.e. bringing a meal, picking up a favorite snack for the new dad, or even just finding a nurse if the new mom has been hitting the button but has had no success in having a nurse respond.

2. If the baby starts to get fussy and is trying to latch onto anything within close to him/her, it's time to go.
Give the new mom and baby some space so they can get the nursing down. It's hard enough to get a new baby to nurse- having an audience only makes it more difficult. If the new mom insists that you stay and doesn't mind, make sure you leave if she starts to look uncomfortable or stressed.

1. Most of all, Don't Stay Too Long! Especially if the new mother has had a c-section!
Make your visit short and leave before the new parents are exhausted! If you've driven a long way and aren't ready to leave yet, then take a break in the waiting room for a bit, take to the hospital gift shop, or go get some lunch. Give the new parents plenty of time to bond and rest.


Related Articles on Adventures in Diapering:
*Gift Ideas for a New Mom

Top 10 Reasons Why NOT to Sell Your House While Rasing Young Children

Here's 10 reasons why NOT to put your house on the market while raising little children:


10. You wash the glass door only to find your baby putting her hands all over it 1 minute later

9. Toddler + Permanent Markers = Complete disaster all over the wall 45 minutes before a showing

8. Preschoolers can't resist jumping all over a perfectly made bed.

7. Buyers LOVE to request showings during nap time.

6. After skipping nap time for a showing, another request comes in during dinnertime and your tired and hungry toddlers will have to eat dinner 1 1/2 hours late.

5. Toddlers find neatly put away toys to be a perfect opportunity to create a mess.

4. When your house is for sale, grape juice, play dough, and markers bring terror to your heart!

3. Realtors sometimes show up EARLY while your 2 year old is going #2 on the potty, your baby is crawling around with only a t-shirt and a diaper on, and your 4 & 5 year olds are running around the house shouting "they're here! they're here!"

2. You enjoy your sanity. There's something about spending an hour making the entire house look perfect only to find your toddlers making a huge mess that can turn a calm mother into an emotional mess.

1. Buyers could care less about the inconvenience they create for sellers. They come during lunch, naptime, dinner.
They come on short notice, sometimes request 1-2 hour blocks of time, come early, come late (after you've already come back home), and sometimes they don't come at all.


Related Posts:
*Before Selling Our House, I Used to...
*Crying, Screaming, and Hyperventilating on the Kitchen Floor
*Another Showing Bites the Dust

Helping My Son Stop Sucking His Thumb

At 4 years old, my son was still sucking his thumb. Not just at night, but throughout the day as well. Whenever he had his favorite blanket, his thumb would go in. Recently our dentist shared some ideas to help our son stop sucking his thumb:

*Put the favorite blanket away until my son gets older, letting him know that he could have it back some day.

*Set short goals: 1 day, 2 days, 1 week, ect. and reward my son with something he would enjoy: i.e. a scoop of ice cream or going to a favorite park

*Set a long term goal of 2-3 months of no thumb-sucking. The dentist said by that time we can be pretty sure he's completely broken the habit.

*At the end of the 2-3 months, have a party to celebrate the end of thumb sucking. Invite family and friends and make it a big deal for my son. Knowing that he'll receive this party if he continues to not suck his thumb, it gives him something to look forward to.

*The dentist also told my son that if he has not been sucking his thumb, than next time he has a dental cleaning, he'll get to pick out a special prize!

2 weeks ago I started the first step- I took my son's blanket and put it somewhere safe. I reassured him that he could have his blanket back when he gets a little older. We set some short-term goals and rewards, and talked about the party we would have after a couple months of no thumb-sucking. He was only a little upset about the blanket the first night, but did fine after that. He was very excited about having a party and didn't seem to mind giving up the blanket to receive the party (and cupcakes!).

He hasn't sucked his thumb since! He even stopped asking about the blanket. Looking at him now, you can't even tell that just 2 weeks ago he was sucking his thumb 24/7!

*Have a child who used to be an avid thumb or finger sucker? Leave a comment and share your tips for breaking the avid!

10 Baby Items I Love!

In no particular order, here are my top 10 Favorite Baby Items that I've used the most!

10. Bumkins Super Bibs-
These bibs are great! We have only 1 right now, but that's enough. The bib is lightweight and has a pocket to catch food and protect Baby's clothes. What I like most about this bib is that I can wash it out after mealtime at the sink and let it hang dry on the faucet. By the next meal, the bib's already dry and ready to be used again!

9. First Years Stacking Cups-
I bought these cups when my first was a baby and 5 1/2 years later, my kids STILL play with them almost every day! The cups nest inside of each other, or you can turn them upside down and stack them tall into a tower. My kids have had a lot of fun with the cups during bathtime. They'll fill the cups up with water and let the water drain out of holes that are in the bottom of the cups. This is a fun toy for playtime, bathtime, and even at the pool!

8. Take 'n Toss Sippy Cups-
These cups are inexpensive and work well for mealtime at home and on the go. They're dishwasher safe, so washing is easy. The cups are affordable enough that if one gets lost, you won't have to shell out a fortune to replace it!

7. Tiny Diner Placemat-
This place mat is great for eating out! Instead of having baby eat off of a dirty table, just stick the placemat down and now there's a clean place to put the food on! The placemat has suction cups on the bottom to hold it in place. When the meals over, the placemat rolls into itself and can be taken home to be washed. I wish I had bought this with my first baby instead of waiting until my third! It has been so handy!

6. Bouncer Seat
Any bouncy seat will do. My babies didn't care about all the bells and wistles. A plain bouncy chair with a mobile hanging from it kept them very entertained during those first few months. Plus, the bouncy seat is great for feeding Baby before he has the neck support to sit in a big high chair!
*Garage sales are the best place to find these for really inexpensive!!!

5. Graco Healthy Care Booster Seat (High Chair)
This chair is great for on the go. There are two trays as well as a cover to keep the trays clean. I've used mine for potlucks at church, visiting family, and even as a high chair at home. Since it attatches to an existing chair, you don't loose any space like you would with a regular high chair!

4. Pack 'N Play
We used ours as a bassinet in our room when our babies were newborns. We've also used ours a TON when traveling! You don't need anything fancy- just the basic pack 'n play does the trick!

3. Framed Backpack Carrier
This is one of my husband's favorite items. He's used it to carry our babies: picking blueberries, at the pumpkin patch, at the park walking on nature trails, and even when hiking up a mountain!

2. Robeez
Our youngest two babies have worn Robeez instead of regular shoes. We used Robeez for indoors and outdoor play. They are flexible and comfy for Baby's feet. We switch over to regular shoes eventually, but for the first year and a half, these work great!

1. Mobile for the Crib
Mobiles are great for keeping Baby occupied during the wee hours of the morning when everyone else is still asleep.
They're also great when it's time to lay Baby down.With our youngest, I would wind it up and she would stare at it for a while before falling asleep. She loved it! With a mobile, look for characters that point down, have a smiling face, and are brightly colored.


Related Articles:
*10 Baby Items I Can Live Without

Baby Shower Cupcakes

A friend of mine is having a baby soon. To celebrate her upcoming arrival, I made baby cupcakes for her baby shower this weekend!

I found the idea for the cupcakes in the book "Hello Cupcake". I checked it out from the library for free, but liked it so much that I plan to add it to my Amazon wish list!

If you enjoy making cupcakes, then you'll love this book!

10 Baby Items I Can Live Without

After having 4 children, here are 10 baby items that I can live without:

10. Diaper Genie

I've used the Diaper Genie during babysitting jobs and agree that it does the job on keeping poo poo smells out. However, why pay for refills when you can just use a regular trashcan and liner for much cheaper? Plus, Diaper Genie and even the Diaper Champ fill up very quickly if you have 2 in diapers. It was much easier for us to use a regular trashcan with a liner once we had 2 kids.

9. Walker

If you have limited space and mostly carpet in your house, I highly suggest you skip buying a walker. Without much room (or smooth floors), there's no where for the walker to go, therefore defeating the purpose.

8. Bottles

If you're exclusively breastfeeding and are ready to introduce baby to some solids as well as drinking water at mealtime, I suggest you skip the bottle. I went straight for a sippy cup with each of our kids when they were around 4 months old. I'd hold the cup for them when they were first using it, then as they became older they could hold it themselves. If you go straight for the sippy cup, you won't have to worry about Baby becoming attached to a bottle.

7. Baby Shoes

Babies do need to keep their feet warm, but what is the purpose of shoes for a child that can't even crawl yet? We've skipped over shoes when our babies were very young and instead went for slippers or socks to keep their feet warm. Once they were close to crawling age, we went for Robeez.

6. 2nd. Car Seat Base

99% of driving our kids is spent in one vehicle. When we did need to take baby in another car, we just strapped the carseat in without the base.

5. Changing Table

Changing Baby on the crib with a lap pad or receiving blanket under Baby works just as well. Or, you can even change baby on the floor, your bed, or anywhere else flat and soft. If space is an issue in your home, skip the changing table and use whatever is most convenient for diaper time.

4. Bassinet

With a bassinet, your time is up once Baby starts rolling over or starts to sit up. Go for a Pack 'n Play instead. A Pack 'n Play can be used as a basinet for a newborn as well as a travel bed once Baby is older.

3. Baby Snow Suit

A bunting like this should not be used when a baby is a car seat, and most people probably don't take their babies for long walks outside when it's frigid cold, so what's the point? Do people really use these???

2. Cribs that Convert into Big Kid Beds

If you plan to have a second child within the next 2-3 years, you will need to use the crib for the new baby before your first child gets a chance to enjoy it as a Big Kid bed.

1. Fancy Newborn Outfits

Newborns sleep, eat, and poo. That's about it. Why put them into uncomfortable outfits when you can put them in a comfy little sleeper instead? Sleepers, bag outfits, and onesies make diaper changing easier than using fancy outfits. Not only are they so much more comfortable for baby, but they make diaper changing easier for you! You won't have to take multiple things off of baby after spit-ups or blow-outs.

Disagree with an item in my list? Have a baby item I forgot? Leave a comment and voice your opinion!

Related Articles:

*10 Baby Items I Love!

Fun Frosted Cookies!

Last month I shared a great recipe for icing cut-out cookies. I copied the recipe from an aunt of mine. My aunt made a visit recently and brought some of her beautiful cookies with her! She is really good at decorating with icing, so I am sharing a photo of some of her latest cookies.

Some of the cookies are sugar cookies and others are gingerbread, (which smelled wonderfully like Christmas when I opened up the cookie tin!). If you would like information on how to make the ornamental icing or how to decorate cookies like these, please check out this link: http://adventuresindiapering.blogspot.com/2009/02/valentines-day-cut-out-cookies.html

How to Read a Blog that's in a Different Language

Someone from a different country commented on my blog recently. I thought it would be fun to comment back on her's using her own language, Spanish. The only problem with that? I'm not very fluent in writing or speaking Spanish! Plus, the blog was in Spanish, so I wasn't completely sure what it said!

That's when I found this website: Babelfish. You can write something in the box, then click on the language you want to translate it into, and voila'! Your comment is now in that person's language! Just copy and paste it into the comment box on your friend's blog.

In addition to being able to translate a section of text, this website can also translate another website into your own language! All you do is select the language you speak, then enter in the web address in the html box and hit enter. It will open up that website in your own language!

Maybe the rest of you already knew how to do this, but I had never tried Babelfish before. It's exciting to be able to communicate with people that speak a different language than your own!