Scene:  The end of dinner.  The little angel is still picking lethargically at her heart pasta dipped in cheese, refusing to end her meal. 

Me:  "Remember, as soon as you get done, we can color on the valentine cards for your grandparents!"

Little Angel:  "I'm not done eating." (takes tiny bite)

(Ten minutes go by, during which the little angel smears cheese on the tile-topped table, then begins to draw abstract designs with her Hello Kitty spoon.)

Me:  "I think you're done. It's time to color on the cards."

Little Angel:  "I'm still eating!  I'm really hungry!"

(Five more minutes go by. I am increasingly agitated.)

Me:  "Honey, you're not eating. It's time to end this charade."

Little Angel:  "Stop talking to me about the cards, MOMMY, I already heard about the cards, and I'm going to color them, but I'm not done EATING NOW, and you should stop talking."

Me:  (stunned silence)

Beloved:  "I guess she gave you the business."

This morning at The Emerald City, little S. didn't want to eat her Cheerios.  A tired Miss W. told her that all she had was Cheerios.

S. did NOT want the Cheerios.  She threw them on the floor.

Me:  "Hey, did you know Cheerios are magic?  If you put them on your tongue, they'll dissolve in a while."

The little angel's pal L. looked up at me solemnly with her deep brown eyes.  "Yes, we should eat Cheerios," she said.

She fixed S. with her dark gaze.

L.:  "You should eat your Cheerios, S.  Jesus died on the cross."

That L. She takes no prisoners.

Our friends Andrew & Nooshi always have the coolest gadgets, so it’s no surprise that they introduced us to an amazingly innovative childproofing system.

The Rev-A-Shelf Rev-A-Lock system ($29.95 at SafeBeginnngs.com; includes 5 locks, 2 keys, installation screws, and instructions) is the perfect solution for cabinets (or drawers) with standalone handles (i.e., adjacent handle loop latches won’t work). This lock system is based on a powerful magnet; it’s impossible to open doors or drawers even a crack when the system is engaged, preventing pinched little fingers. The lock disengages when the magnetic key is positioned over the lock installation area, and snaps back into the locked position when the key is removed. Once the lock system is no longer needed, just flip the red disengage bar on the back of the lock.

Coping with soiled diapers and clothing is the bread and butter of early parenting, and eco-minded parents will be happy to have Diaper Baggies in their arsenal. These disposable zip lock bags are made of recycled plastic, take up virtually no space in the diaper bag (especially compared to wads of leftover grocery bags), and offer an environmentally conscious, odor-trapping means of discarding dirty disposable diapers, or transporting soiled cloth diapers or infant clothing.

Available at HappiBaby.com, each package includes 40 Diaper Baggies ($5.49, 8 x 8", they’re currently offering a buy 2 get 1 free special); giraffe and flower designs are available and additional designs are in production.

Pursuant to our post on nylon/fabric window draft stoppers, reader Tracy from Kingston, Ontario offered this fabulous tip on alternative uses for nylons: “We make little oatmeal bath bombs for the boys (and sometimes me) to ward off the dry, itchy skin of winter, and to help ease Gabriel's eczema-prone hide. I buy cheap knee-high stockings and keep a tub of oatmeal (not quick cook) in the bathroom. I fill a sock with about 1/3 cup of oatmeal (it's easier if you stuff the sock into a cup first), tie two knots separated by about an inch, cut between them, and voila: one sock for the tub, and the rest of the nylon is ready for next time. The warm water activates the oats, making a soupy, slimy lotion to rub all over their skin, which rinses off easily and helps to moisturize and relieve itching…Since beginning this regimen, we have reduced Gabriel's use of cortisone creams to nil, and use about half the moisturizing cream and petroleum jelly we used to.”
Tracy also notes that: “Many people have recommended oatmeal baths for itchy skin (it's amazing for chicken pox), but you either add it right to the bath, which is really messy to clean up, or you buy commercial and risk break outs and allergic reactions with all the other stuff that's in them. I think oatmeal is safe for any child or baby who has been introduced to oatmeal in their diet (chances are if you can eat, you can bathe in it).”

Thanks Tracy, for this terrific tip!

I finally got my review up at Surrender, Dorothy:  Book Reviews for Lalita Tademy's Red River.

And now I feel as though I must go sleep for six days. It's an amazing and depressing and hopeful book.

Yesterday I was living the phrase “roll up your sleeves and get dirty.” Literally, I spent part of the afternoon with poop rolled up in my sleeve.

After a great week on the potty train (ending with a solid, dramatic flourish on Friday night…), I was on my own with Laurel all weekend and either my timing was completely off by 5 minutes all day, or Laurel was regressing or resisting. Yesterday was no better, and in the afternoon, during a much-needed visit with my pal Paige and her sons we had two accidents in quick succession right after a potty stop.

It’s completely awkward to try to clean poop off a kid who is not reclined on a changing mat, and as I was trying to negotiate this process I ended up with poop on my sleeve. And even though Paige would have happily given me a new shirt, it seemed high time for me to lighten up and start rolling with it. I had been fretting and judging myself all weekend with each passing accident, and as supportive as I tried to be, I’m sure Laurel could sense my stress. So up went the sleeve. And out when any further expectations on the should’s of this whole process.

Lunching with a fellow mama who had an infant in tow, I was pleasantly surprised by the baby-amenability of Grafton Street in Harvard Square. The restaurant is spacious enough to accommodate strollers (even the wide-girthed Bugaboo), the atmosphere is cool and calm, and the tables are spaced well enough such that nursing was a piece of cake. Oh yeah, and the food for the mamas was quite nice. The lunch menu offers a variety of salads, formal entrees, pizzas, and sandwiches ranging from $6.95 to $14.95.

A mama pal has high praise for the new magazine Wondertime, a periodical focused on helping parents nurture their children’s love of learning. Suitable for moms of infants through 6-year-olds, this magazine offers ideas about playful activities and everyday adventures with your kids, along with developmental insights. My pal likened it to Real Simple: stylish and simple, but with great, practical ideas.

Wondertime offers a subscription rate of $10 for 10 issues over 24 months ($1 per issue).