PC parts repurposed!

My husband came back from working on a project a while ago, and brought home a hardly used, broken computer keyboard. He said the guys were recycling them at this office he was working with, and he said he'd take one home to reporpose as a toy for his daughter to play with. He unscrewed the wire slot, removed the wiring and screwed it back in place. I cloroxed the thing (office germs are the worst!), and Freida woke up to a usually totally tabooed toy! She was so excited that she was allowed to slam the keys by herself while I left her alone to explore. Of course, we all know that they do in fact know the difference --- and she still loves the special skype moments with Bubby whilst I let her bang on the real thing, but you'd be surprised at how happy she is when I set her up with her keyboard in her stroller/high chair next to her Daddy on the computer... total time killer! ; )

"Babysitter in A Box" All Snowed in...

We were recently talking about going up to the mountains for a ski weekend, and I found myself getting super nostalgic for my childhood in Canada and the Midwest. Nothing like getting snowed in for the day....

1. LLbean snow molds. Pack and fly the perfect snowballs, easily go from cabin-fever to igloo-fever!

2. Aladdin soup bowl thermos. Not the thermos your mom sent you to school with, that leaked lukewarm liquid and made your whole lunch smell like minestrone soup.... this one stays closed, and stays steamy.

3. L'Occitane ultra rich rosebud cream. Dab some onto their cheeks after playing in the snow, rub some onto your legs after a nice long tub saok.

4. Rubber Duck retro snow joggers. How can you resist those retro rainbow stripes??

5. Fred "ABC" cookie cutters. Already been chewed! The kids'll go nuts for this one.

6. Netflix. This sheer genius is self explanatory.

7. Hanna Anderson organic cotton PJ's. Timeless. Cozy. Classic.

8. Crocodile Creek,World of Animals Puzzle. Can't go wrong with animals and geography. Pieces are large enough for little hands and just tricky enough to kill some time.

9. Eurosled Snow Spider. Delivers the ultimate downhill ride.

DIY natural Playdough

Since moving out to Southern California, I've learned to stop anticipating those cleansing rainfalls; they simply don't grace us with their downpours. Ever. So when the grey skies come around - we are caught quite off guard. I couldn't even imagine spending the entire day indoors (no park? no walk? no frolicking in the grass?)...

So after a trip to (the always trusty!) Barnes & Nobles kids section, i had to think up some quick, at home entertainment ideas.

Made this play dough in 5 minutes flat! Natural, edible (just in case!), and totally sustainable (ziploc bag, anyone?).

Nature's Playdough recipe:

1 cup flour 1/2 cup salt 1 cup water 2 tablespoons oil 2 tablespoons cream of tartar

food coloring or vegetable juices (beet, spinach, carrot, tomato)

Mix flour, salt, cream of tartar, and oil, and slowly add the water. Cook over medium heat, stirring until dough becomes stiff. Turn out onto cutting board and let cool (3 minutes). Knead the playdough with your hands until of proper consistency. Use as is, or divide into balls and add a few drops coloring.

(I used a box of Kroger NEON food coloring that I had leftover in my pantry- you can find it at any supermarket with the cake decorating items.)

Happy playdough-ing!