With each year that passes, I stand in awe at all that my boys accomplish.  I guess what they say is true - time flies when you’re having fun!  At each birthday, though, I want to stop time, take a moment and relish the experience of my child right then, right there.  While that isn’t possible, it is quite easy to “freeze frame” the memory into something tangible.

Here are several ideas to hold on to those precious, fleeting moments as your child grows up.  These are adaptable at any age and are a great way to remember these amazing years.

• Make a stepping stone.  Stepping stones are quite easy to create.  Craft stores usually sell kits to create one, or you can gather the materials yourself to make your own.  Use either a disposable baking pan (such as a 9 inch square aluminum pan) or, if you want a round stone, use a saucer for a large flower pot (we’ve done this one!).  Purchase a bag of quick-set cement, mix up a batch and pour it in the pan.  After it starts to set, have your child press his or her hands or feet into the cement.  You can decorate it with rocks, colored stones or other objects.  Be sure to use a stick to write the year in the stone as well.
• Design your own plate - there are some inexpensive kits available for creating a unique design.  My boys have “birthday plates” they created and use on their special day.  Try Plate Works Design Your Own Plate or, for a twist on this idea, why not create a wall clock?
• Preserve those special birthday cards by creating a unique placemat for your child.  Take a piece of poster board, cut it to an appropriate size for a placemat, and glue special cards to the posterboard.  Cover the entire creation in contact paper to protect it from spills.  Imagine the fun of looking back at neat cards and notes received on birthdays past!
• Use a kit, such as My Photostory, to chronicle the past year in photos.  This is an awesome tool for preserving those special moments from the past year.  Once the book is completed, it is sent off for production and mailed back in a bound, archival-quality product.  This is a wonderful idea for those milestones, such as the first birthday, turning thirteen, turning eighteen…
• Create other projects to mark the occasion, such as mugs, wristwatches or a painting.  Another great kit is a calendar kit.  Use a picture or a drawing from each month of the past year to create a special birthday edition calendar for the following year.  Or, use the calendar to record special events from the past year.

Birthdays are a wonderful time to reflect on the amazing growth our children go through.  Marking it with a tangible reminder is a wonderful gift to you and your child!

The Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a number of recalls this week relating to products for children.  Please check the list below to make sure you do not have one of the affected products.  Included in each link is a description of the product, where and when it was sold, instructions to alleviate the issue, and a picture or visual aid to help with identification. 

1. Laugh & Learn(tm) Kitchen Toys Recalled by Fisher-Price Due To Choking Hazard 2. Hunter Fan Recalls Humidifiers for Fire Hazard

One of our most popular lines are the Sticky Mosaics art kits. We’re so excited to be able to offer 3 new designs in time for the holidays (we’re expecting them to arrive in early December). Sticky Mosaics Fairies is similar to the Princess and Jewels designs, featuring jewel tiles and 4 beautiful designs. The other two new items are quite different - for the first time, Sticky Mosaics have gone 3-D! Children can build their own Sticky Mosaics Castle, complete with colorable action figures, or a unique Sticky Mosaics Jewelry Box with both foil and gem pieces.

We are now taking preorders on all three items.

1. Children’s Metal Jewelry Recalled By WeGlow International Due to Risk of Lead Exposure2. Dollar Tree Stores Inc. Recalls Children’s Jewelry Due to Risk of Lead Exposure

At one time, I aspired to be Martha Stewart.  I labeled my linen closet, I made my own napkin rings.  I pruned plants in my backyard and created swags and centerpieces with the clippings.  I made my own marshmallows.  Oh yes, Martha was my daily inspiration.  And then came the kids.

Nowadays I’m doing well just to remember to close the garage door before we zip out to run the morning carpool.  Laundry is done on a daily, as-needed basis, and ironing consists of a fifteen minute tumble in the dryer with a damp towel.  Our centerpiece on our table now is a stack of However, there are a few things that Martha taught me that stick with me in my parenting.  And my favorite is my labeling system for the kids’ playroom.

I wanted a way to organize my boys’ massive collections of trucks, cars, Legos, play dough, little plastic animals, and miscellaneous other interests, and I wanted it fun and simple enough for my children to participate or, ideally, independently use.  I sorted the toys into various lidded bins according to type.  Then, I labeled each bin with a simple word or phrase: “animals”, “small balls”, “cars”, “zoob“, “airplanes” and more.  Then, before I adhered them to the end of the container with a swatch of clear packing tape, I attached a photo of the toys inside.  My three year old, who isn’t able to read the words on the boxes quite yet, is still able to successfully pick up his toys by simply looking on the sides of the bins for the match.  And, he no longer asks me to find his Thomas trains, because he can find them himself with the pictures on the bins.

Pictoral labeling as an organizational tool for children is a great way to empower your children and give them the opportunity to take care of themselves.  It makes the bins cute to look at on a shelf, too!

The Consumer Product Safety Commision released seven additional recalls on Thursday. 

The recalls were for the following products (each link provides information about the recall and the products affected, including pictures).  Please follow the guidelines provided if these are products you own.

Thomas And Friends Wooden Railway recall - five additional products have been added to their recall list: a cargo car, a cargo box, “Toad” engine, green maple tree top and green signal base.

Knights Of The Sword toys recall - three silver knight toys are on this list.  These were sold in blister packs from 2004 - 2006.

Children’s Toys Rakes sold exclusively through Jo-Ann Fabrics recall - these rakes have a green handle with a yellow duck head attached. The rake has seven purple tines. The rake is about 24 inches long. “Robbie Ducky™ Garden Collection Rake” is printed on a tag attached to the handle.

Guidecraft Children’s Puppet Theater recall - these are free-standing, large puppet theaters that have a chalk board on the front.  These were sold 2006 - 2007.

Children’s Spinning Wheel Metal Necklace recall - these necklaces were sold through novelty stores and machines, redemption centers at arcades, and small discount stores.

Toby & Me Metal Jewelry recall - this line of jewelry for children was sold through stores such as TJ Maxx, Marshalls, A.J. Wright, Cracker Barrel, and Shopko.  Please check the pictures for specific items on the list.

Happy Giddy Gardening Tools and Miss Spider Sunny Patch chairs by Target recall - Target is issuing a recall of certain items from each of these lines from this past year.  Check the link and product description for details.