I made 40 Cat in the Hat cupcakes for Nathan and Emma’s classes at school today. It was Dr. Seuss Day, and all the kids went to school in their pajamas. One of the moms was making green eggs and ham for the class and I started to feel that I needed to do something. Something outside the normal routine. Something Seussy.

I had marshmallows. Marshmallows look a lot like Cat in the Hat’s hat if you wrap a string of thin red licorice around them. Stick them on a chocolate cat cupcake – instant Cat. It was so much fun - okay, the first 30 were (the first 5). They ended up looking so cool that even the baby was impressed.

Of course I made several errors. Like Lilly kept wanting attention and hugging my legs, so I gave her a burning candle to play with, that singed her hair. And Emma wanted me to stay with her and watch a play at her school and I was so sweaty in my pajamas, I just wanted to get out of there and start making the cupcakes. I kept thinking I should be doing something else, and by doing something else, I was missing something else. Why is life like that? Why do you only realize that when you have kids? Because you know that in no time they won’t want you to stay and play with them? It’s hard not to take every opportunity. But I was itching to do something creative — Dr. Seuss was calling to me beyond the grave. Sometimes you have to throw your real life out the window and build a cat out of marshmallows.

I still got to the end of the day, with my lovely kids. Everyone was nestled in, clean, fed, asleep. A day full of rhyme and nonsense, fun colorful words. I’m always racing to stay ahead of the clock. Dr. Seuss had some pretty basic messages about love and order, that these things count, even when they are served by an insane cat with whimsical ideas. If you open your heart (or door on a rainy day), and invite in the madness that is chaos — there will eventually be order, even in chaos. The Mom always comes home at the end of the day. So Moms, on your upside-down Dr. Seuss safari that is motherhood, don’t stifle that creative mind. Follow that routine, but like a kaleidoscope turning, watch those colors changing around you throughout the day. Even a regular cupcake can turn into poetry.

For for more of Juliet’s refreshing perspective, please visit her website http://www.somebodysalwayshungry.com/

This winter, will the noses ever stop running? This winter has been the year of the marathon cold, with a constant stream of tissues, floating across the beds, floors and bathrooms of our house. Here’s our cold routine: We like to take one cold and ride it like a carousel in our house. Baby gets it, kisses everyone, older sister gets it, passes it to older brother in the bathtub, relay then goes to Mom who passes it to Dad and then Gramma enjoys it last – just long enough to pass it back to the Baby. And we’re off again. It’s already almost March, and our one cold has lasted us since November. We’ve really gotten our money’s worth. Bed and naptime routines during the cold onslaught are crucial. Grumpy, snot-ridden children are placed in bed with hot soup and box of tissue. Soup is fed happily, sore noses wiped with tissues, lotion applied while child cries. Watching a dog movie is usually the greatest gift to the sick preschooler. Might as well forget getting any work done, the best work you can do is curl up in bed, read, color, play puzzles and watch “Underdog” with those warm toes wrapped around yours, and enjoy the epidemic.

For for more of Juliet’s refreshing perspective, please visit her website http://www.somebodysalwayshungry.com/

Taking kids to the snow requires an ability to use your normal daily Mom skills and dial them up to Supermom mode. If you want to go sledding with them, that is. Because not only are you going to be setting up the organization of the day like usual (food, nap, play, more food, bath, bed), but you’re going to do it at a high altitude and it will involve the dryer and pounds of wet snow pants.

But here’s what makes it worth it. I was watching the other mom I was with as she sledded down the hill with her five-year old. She was trying hard to steer the sled, and make it go a certain way. True, there was a nasty stump to the left (we’ll call it Head Injury) and there was a huge cliff of snow and the street to the right (our friend, Skin Abrasion). But the whole idea of trying to steer a sled had me baffled. You get to the top of the hill. You set down your sled, your kid, your wet behind. You grab on and try to aim the best you can. Then you let go.

You yell and laugh and sometimes you crash and flip over, and sometimes you cry and sometimes you make it to the bottom ready to go up again right away.  But steering? You gotta go with it.

The kids and I went with it, in every possible way we could. We went down head first, on our stomachs, on our backs, on our knees, flinging ourselves down, rolling down in wet pants. We spent a lot of time in jumbled heaps at the bottom of the hill, seeing skies we might have forgotten to look up at. We didn’t do it because we thought we were rebels, or more evolved than anyone else. We did it because we HAD to. It was awesome and fun. That’s what the day dictated. We couldn’t stop climbing the mountain.

Set the course and let go. Now that we’re home, I’m missing the snow, and the joyfulness. I’m wishing I could do that more in my everyday life with the kids. Really enjoy the day’s routine – find the beauty in the well worn path we make – carry that breathless wonder of zooming, crashing, wet pants and togetherness. Feet on the sled, launching off and flying.

For for more of Juliet’s refreshing perspective, please visit her website http://www.somebodysalwayshungry.com/

I was thinking about what President’s Day means to a Safari Mom, and about how many dead presidents had to go before the kids got a day off of school. Usually that’s all President’s Day has meant to us – not having to get up. A break from the routine. Then last night I was lying in bed after the baby finally conked out and thinking about that little bit of hope we have in our country right now because of our new presidential leader.  Then I checked out the baby sleeping, her little downy duck chest rising and falling, and I thought about how in each house, all moms (dads or grandparents) are little rays of hope for their babies. Being a mom is a haphazard arrangement, mostly because the little people in our charge don’t realize that we’re all working together, here. Their job is to divide and conquer, ours is to follow behind, clean up the wreckage, offer guidance and snacks. I thought about how the strongest leaders are maybe the leaders of families that I know – gentle, hardworking, busy people who are there for every little emergency that happens on their personal safari. Providing a clear, strong path for the future. Imagine the world made up of these people – nurturers not in the spotlight, working for no pay, but loving these little splinters of people as they follow along and hopefully grow to become leaders themselves. And there are moms everywhere. This President’s Day, safari moms of the world should take a moment and realize their love makes them indeed, the strongest of leaders. Isn’t it remarkable how the quietest group of people can make the biggest difference?

For for more of Juliet’s refreshing perspective, please visit her website http://www.somebodysalwayshungry.com/

Even in preschool these days, Valentine’s has become about one thing: CANDY. Just when you thought Halloween was the candy holiday. Here comes Valentine’s Day. And in case you’re out of candy by April, here’s a basketful at Easter to restock. Don’t get me wrong, I count on the candy coming. I raid the kids’ Halloween and Valentine’s stash. But when I was kid, Valentine’s was about love, and sending little notes to your friends at school. Sealing those friendships, and loving your family. Now every store-bought Valentine has a cartoon on it and comes with candy attached. A big improvement, I’d say, but a shock to the trying-to-stay-mostly-sugar-free kids’ system. A great routine we’ve started with our kids for Valentine’s is to take Styrofoam cups (very environmental non-friendly) and stick a packet of hot chocolate mix in each cup. Then the kids decorate the cups with markers, crayons and stickers for each of their friends at school. Sugarless hot chocolate mix tastes almost the same as regular hot chocolate, but who knows whether sugar or chemicals is worse for kids. Pick your poison. At least they’ll be drinking the sugar hot instead of just mainlining it cold, and you can use real milk. As for the actual meaning of Valentine’s Day – making those cups together and getting the kids covered in permanent marker (while you enjoy a little hot chocolate yourselves on a cold winter morning) makes a warm family memory.

For for more of Juliet’s refreshing perspective, please visit her website http://www.somebodysalwayshungry.com/

Flossing with kids is kinda funny.  They like that there is a package with flavored string that they can pull out and try. The actual flossing I haven’t really done with the kids until yesterday, and I see why. Baby teeth don’t catch too much food between them – some of the teeth have too big a gap so the string just floats around in there. You’re mostly flossing gums. They were excited to try, though. It’s good to introduce them to flossing,   and get them curious about it. You spend so much time teaching them how to brush their teeth - it’s hard enough to get a preschooler angled up to the mirror to brush, we never bothered even trying to crack the complex flossing issue. It is like a puzzle, trying to pull the string out and figure out how to stick one finger with the string in their mouth and the other outside, and all the pulling – you end up with a bundle of string while your kid looks like they’re trying to wrap a tiny elf present in their mouth. But they look up at you so hopefully. Am I doing it right? They want to do anything you can do. Brushing is part of going to sleep, and we’ll save flossing for once a week, when we have a few extra minutes to play with the string and begin to understand how it works. My kids will be champion flossers by the time their teeth grow close enough together to reap the benefits.  February is National Children’s Dental Health Month, so some Sunday night when you have extra time, why not give flossing a whirl. Hand them the floss box and let them pull the magic tooth string. Then show them the ropes. Be prepared for them to be perplexed. We like to stick the stuffed Chomper the crocodile in there with us to be our cheerleader. He seems to know so much about teeth, and he’s got that big smile.

For for more of Juliet’s refreshing perspective, please visit her website http://www.somebodysalwayshungry.com/

Happy Children’s Dental Health Month!

Don’t forget to tickle your teeth!!!

Big Smiles!!

Here are a few of our friends doing P.J.’s favorite dance, the Jammie Jiggle Wiggle!!!

Jammie Jiggle Wiggle with P.J.

Click here to see the Jammie Jiggle Wigglers!

Celebrity:

“I opened the package with my son and we both said WOW.  He loved all the colorful characters and put on the “Bumper”  slippers immediately.  That evening I used all but the bath time book (I got home from work just after that time) and one by one, we enjoyed getting ready for bed.  By the time I read him the Bedtime Safari book, he put his head down on the pillow next to the characters and closed his eyes.  There was NO crying, conflict or fidgeting, just an easy, peaceful and beautiful transition to bedtime. Aaaaahhh”

Brandi Chastain, World Cup Soccer Champion Olympic Gold Medalist

Industry:

“When I was introduced to the Rascals & Routines “Carry Me Everywhere Suitcase” made by
Haydenburri Lane, I fell in love!  The contents include five of the cutest finger puppets I have ever
seen, and they help create or supplement any great bedtime routine.  Establishing healthy habits
and creating a bedtime routine is a fantastic way to begin 2009.”
Elizabeth Werner, Chief Toy Officer iVillage

“So often a book speaks best for itself.  In the case of this great new book in a series from
Haydenburri Lane, it shouts joyfully with earnestness, freshness and enthusiasm about the fun in
learning through the vehicle of games, and imagination, as well as parent and child interaction.”
William Nakamura, General Manager Borders Books & Music

“Haydenburri Lane creates some of the most amazing stories and products I have seen in a long time”
Lane Nemeth Founder, Discovery Toys

“It’s a wonderful idea to look to research and parents’ great ideas to find ways to make everyday
routines like going to bed fun and educational!  The approach is clever, and the suggestions are
sound.  This should be a great resource for parents.”
Dr. Scott McConnell, Director of Center for Early Education & Development University of Minnesota

Moms:

Citymom

I think that the most challenging thing that I have faced as a mother so far is……bedtime!  Some parents just have this down…but for me, it has always been a challenge!  Getting them to follow a routine was like pulling teeth!  Then I stumbled upon Haydeburri Lane’s Rascals & Routines.  I immediately ordered a set….when I received it in the mail I was so excited, I asked them to send me another one, I was sure my children would not share them…and I was right!

What I received was a very beautifully packaged set of darling characters in a bright and lively carrying case with a little story book that explained all!  They have created a system that will help you engage your preschool children in very positive routines….I won’t lie; even my seven year old loved them!  We even recently took them on a family vacation…where your routines suffer the most…it was awesome!

They both play with them constantly; they know their names and know exactly what task each one promotes…it is really cute!  At bedtime they take each ambassador of a particular task with them when they are at that step in their routine.

Here is the most important thing that I can say about this product…..it is a wonderful gift to give any new mom!  I will be ordering them for all my upcoming birthday and holiday gifts…if I can help one mom get her bed time routine solidified….I have done my part!  You will impress anyone with this thoughtful, helpful and beautifully packaged surprise!

Julie Elkeshen
Director of Operations, CityMommy SF

Renée aka Mekhismom

Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Bedtime Routines

One of the things that I have learned as a mother is that children like routines. They thrive on it. Recently I had the pleasure of adding Haydenburri Lane’s Rascal’s and Routines Carry Me Everywhere Suitcase to Mekhi’s bedtime ritual and it is simply amazing. This little case is filled with 5 finger puppets, a board book and a silky soft blanket that even I would love snuggling up with. Each puppet is responsible for one aspect of a bedtime routine and in the story Bedtime Safari we meet each character: Chomper the crocodile, Page the elephant, Rory the tiger, Bubbles the Hippo and PJ the bear. The bedtime pals have quickly become Mekhi’s favorite toys, he calls them his “puppies.” Here are some pictures to illustrate my point.

Mekhi will carry this beautiful suitcase around the house all day and night if I let him but since I want him to associate it with bedtime I only let him do this as the clock approached the sacred hour. He has definitely become used to it and when he isn’t ready for bed he cries at the mention of the “puppies.” The tears quickly dry up when he sees his little friends. We read the board book and his pals accompany Mekhi on his bedtime adventures – brushing teeth, taking a bath,doing a pajama wiggle, a bedtime story and being tucked in. We usually read the bible and before we say our prayers Mekhi neatly puts his pals in the crib. In the morning Mekhi returns the puppets to the suitcase and says goodbye until the evening.

I truly cannot express how much I love the Carry Me Everywhere Suitcase. This product is so well made and it is truly beautiful. Everything is the perfect size for a toddler. Although the recommended age for use is 3 and older, at 20 months Mekhi is having no problem understanding the bedtime routines and the role his friends play. If you have a challenge in any part of your bedtime routine or simply want to add some fun I highly recommend the Bedtime Safari Series.

Renée aka Mekhismom

www.cutiebootycakes.com
blog:cutiebootycakes.blogspot.com

Anissa

“If you haven’t gone to the Rascals & Routines website, you really need to! This is one of the best
toys our kids have ever had, and it teaches and reinforces such good behavior.”
Anissa Wardell, Mom

Ellen

“My daughter HATES brushing her teeth. I try everything but it always turns into a battle and I never
feel like her teeth get a good brushing. I asked my daughter to go brush her teeth and she refused
begging for Chomper. I explained she could not have Chomper since she had not completed the
task. Well that was all she needed to rush into the bathroom and open her mouth wide for brushing!
Go Rascals!”
Ellen Peppercorn, Mom

Susan

Friday, January 23, 2009
Helping Preschoolers Handle Bedtime, Brushing Teeth and Other Daily Routines

If you’ve got toddlers or preschoolers, you know how stubborn they can be! Getting them to do what’s good for them, such as going to sleep, brushing their teeth, getting dressed and eating the right foods, can become a fierce battle of wills that frustrates both parent and child. So, parents are always looking for solutions to help make these activities easier.

One company, Haydenburri Lane, has created a series of products that focus on healthy habits and routines for children. Their Rascals & Routines brand for preschool children is a learning system of books, music, media, and toys that introduces children to a world of lovable characters who turn daily routines such as bedtime, morningtime and mealtime into playful adventures! Their products are centered on five loveable characters:

Bubbles the purple hippo loves bathtime and getting clean!
P.J. the blue bear loves to get dressed and go to bed!
Chomper the crocodile likes to take care of himself by eating right and brushing his teeth.
Paige the elephant loves storytime and reading!
Rory the tiger is very brave and likes to try new things.

These colorful characters appear in adorable books and as plush animals to help your children with their daily routines. My twins received a special item called the Carry Me Everywhere Suitcase. It’s a mini-suitcase filled with five finger puppets of each of the characters, a super-soft fleece/satin blanket and a Bedtime Safari book. The first night we got them, Austen was already snuggled up in bed with Bubbles the hippo and the blanket! He fell in love with the characters, as well as the book we read before going to bed. And Haydenburri Lane will be developing more products in the near future.

The Rascals & Routines products are great tools for helping parents handle life with little ones.

Susan M. Heim
http://susanheim.blogspot.com/2009/01/helping-preschoolers-handle-bedtime.html

Jolly Mom

…I received the
Carry Me Everywhere Suitcase and I LOVE it! It is adorable and would make
such an awesome gift!

My son LOVES the book and the finger puppets! Too cute and a great way for
the little munchkins to learn about routines!

Piera Jolly
www.jollymom.com

Molly

What Did the Teacher Have To Say?
Posted by Molly | Under Family | Thursday Jan 15, 2009

So, I thought I might get in trouble for allowing the Rascals and Routines suit case to go to school! Uh, NO! Jennifer didn’t get mad at all! A matter of fact, she was so impressed at the quality of the finger puppets, suitcase, book, and blanket she couldn’t believe it. She also was impressed at how careful and lovingly it was being taken care of!

Half the fun of that is knowing that our daughter is not soft! So, this is a HUGE deal! Jennifer really loved how well made and how well the story was told. Having 4 boys of her own, I am sure that this would come in handy at her own home, but, this is also a great tool for the hearing impaired children that she teaches everyday. Giving hearing impaired children other ways other than just the small amount of hearing that they have to experience something makes it more meaningful, andin turn promotes more learning.

I can honestly say that this is one thing that I may have seen at the store and would have wanted, but, may not have purchased just because I would have been worried about how well it would have been taken care of at home. I am so glad that we were given the opportunity to bring this learning system into our home, and I cannot wait to be able to get the other pieces available on the Rascals & Routines website.

http://molly-mormon.com/what-did-the-teacher-have-to-say/

Ellen

Thursday, January 22, 2009
Rascals & Routines Review

If your toddler is anything like mine bedtime is not their favorite time. My daughter is not terrible about going to sleep, actually she is usually pretty cooperative with everything except brushing her teeth. My daughter HATES brushing her teeth. I try everything but it always turns into a battle and I never feel like her teeth get a good brushing. When I got the opportunity to try Rascals & Routines Bedtime Safari by Haydenberri Lanes I was hopeful it would help with my teeth brushing battles.

I received in the mail the Carry Me Everywhere Suitcase which included finger puppets of the 5 characters as well as a blanket and board book. The first night we put it into action my daughter was very excited. We went through her routine of bath, pajamas, and then stories. We ended story time with the new Rascals & Routines book which walks you through the steps of getting ready for bed meeting a new character at each step. First we read about bath time and I asked my daughter if she had taken a bath, she said yes so I gave her Bubbles the Hippo, then I repeated this same scenario with PJ the pajama bear and then we came to Chompers the alligator. I asked my daughter to go brush her teeth and she refused begging for the alligator. I explained she could not have the alligator since she had not completed the task, well that was all she neededto rush into the bathroom and open her mouth wide for brushing. Then we continued on with Paige the story time elephant and Rory the tiger to tuck you in. My daughter LOVES her rascal puppets and can’t wait to get them at bedtime. She still protests brushing her teeth but all it takes is the threat of no chompers and she gives in. My only complaint is the pocket on the blanket needs to be bigger for all of the puppets to fit inside and stay inside. Other than that I love the Rascals & Routines set and would recommend it to any mom that wants a peaceful bedtime routine.

Ellen

http://www.thriftyandchicmom.com/2009/01/rascals-routines-review.html

Lisa Noel

Thursday, January 15, 2009
Haydenburri Lane’s Bedtime Safari

Our family has had the pleasure of meeting the Rascal’s from Haydenburri Lane. Yesterday the Carry Me Everywhere Suitcase arrived. Boy was it a hit! The boys couldn’t wait for me to open it as soon as they saw the adorable suitcase. Then they saw the finger puppets and were in heaven. Then there’s the great blanket and the cutest little board book.
The adorable Rascal characters, P.J., Bubbles, Rory, Chomper, and Paige, are from a world where “everyday routines are fun!” As a mom I’m always excited about the idea of something that will convince my kids to form good habits. But with a shelf full of “helpful” books that don’t seem to have made any change in them at all, I’m cautiously optimistic. But I love this book and my kids did too. It’s geared towards preschoolers, so older kids may think it’s a little too…cutesty. But we didn’t have that issue here. The Bedtime Safari book is about a brother and sister and their bedtime routine, with a cute twist or magic slippers that take them on the journey to meet each of the Rascals. There’s Bubbles, the hippo, who, as you may guess is for bath time. Then there’s P.J. the bear to help them get into their jammies. Next comes Chomper who will join them in ‘tickling’ their teeth. (I love this description for brushing! I’m sure this could help a mom or two convince a less then willing child brush.) From Chomper, head to Paige, the elephant, for a bedtime story. Lastly Rory tucks them in.
I’d recommend this as a gift for anyone with small kids. It’d be great to have to start using very early on to build a good bedtime routine, but it would also be helpful if someone has older kids who are struggling with bedtime too.

http://lisanoel03.blogspot.com/search?q=haydenburri

Let’s talk about the nap.

The nap is the great Equalizer for the harried family. The Nap, waving its heavy fist of sleep, is a gift every mom should embrace, and deserves. Waiting there, at the same time, same place, every day, for the eventual surrender of both mom and kids.

We got a very strong nap schedule going when my babies were all little and nursing. Nurse, fall asleep, then Don’t Disturb. I would sleep with the kids, if possible. It became easily the best part of the day.

When the two older kids stopped nursing, it was already so ingrained in them that there was Naptime that they rarely fought me on it. We’d have lunch, crawl into bed, read a book or talk, and then settle down. Kids don’t realize how tired they are (and moms either) until they lay flat on a bed, all curled up with you. Then those busy bodies just start to deflate and whether they like it or not, they click off into much needed rest.

With vigilance, the nap can last all the way through kindergarten. Your kids will expect a nap. Just like with all routines that happen systematically, the nap can be the one shiny jewel that will help you survive toddlerhood and the preschool years. And you and the kids need to stop and rest. They may not think so, but as soon as they lay down for more than ten minutes, the inertia gets into their senses. You can almost see the relief flooding up from their toes as their bodies relax and stop twitching and eyes begin to close and you can hear those little growing cells whispering to you, “Thank you.” Unless you’re already off dreaming, yourself.

For for more of Juliet’s refreshing perspective, please visit her website http://www.somebodysalwayshungry.com/