Creating the New Generation of Geeks, Nerds, & Dorks

My First Desk

OK, I'll admit it, I'm a Geek. I actually like learning new things and am a rather studious person in general. Soooo of course the idea of getting my Tiny Tootles a desk of her own in the next couple years is much more exciting for me than it would be (I think) for the average parent (or should be for any sane person for that matter).

Luckily Papa X is the same way, so when we went to IKEA for Baby Room's "luxury" decor and spotted an exact replica of a real desk but scaled down for little people, we both agreed then and there we would buy one when the time was right. No questions asked.

However, after giving it some more thought, maybe an EXACT replica of a REAL office desk wouldn't be as much fun as a desk truly made for little people, such as the one pictured above. Although the bright colors and star cut-outs would look rather strange on the umpteenth floor of Business Tower Central...it would probably be just perfect for Tootles sitting next to my own home office desk. I think it'll make her feel more like she has a place of her own to "work," just like she's seen Mommy X do. We all know children love to imitate, so I might as well go with it while she actually believes hanging out with her mom is "cool."

After all, the plan is 1) Get Her to Count and 2) Teach Her to Balance my Checkbook.

So, while the desk itself might shout "It's time to color your heart out!" Baby X will really be calculating her way to a bigger weekly allowance...(You know, switch a little number here...Add a decimal there...and Viola!) Good to learn these lessons early...

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Start 'Em Young

My Quiet Book

MOM TIME: 5 Minutes - ? - How much does your child like to figure things out?
AGE: 2 - 5 Years
NECESSITY SCALE: Want It

This nifty little book could do the trick of entertaining your child if they like puzzles and other brain teaser activities. Do they know how to use a zipper? Can they buckle themselves in the car seat yet? If not then they might really like playing with this challenging book.

I assume that once they're adept at these complex skills they'll be bored out of their minds and go hunting for something else to try...Like figuring out how to turn on the stove, or how to make the dishwasher grow bubbles...Wonderful things you'll be proud of!

But until then you can pop this into their adorable hands and go do something constructive with yours.

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Honey, You Let Her Do What?!

Draw in the Tub

MOM TIME: 0 - You Still Have To Watch Them In The Bath
AGE: 1.5 Years and Up
NECESSITY SCALE: Want It

Before you decide to tie your child's father up by the toes for allowing your three year old to draw all over themselves and the tub, take a breather. Yes, your tub looks like a macabre scene from "Artists Gone Wild" and your child looks dirtier now than before they got into the bath...but relax! It'll all easily wash away! Really, I promise!

This is one of those rare cheap thrills that you can give your child. "Sure Sweety, here are the crayons...color on anything you want!" Don't you wish your Mom or Dad had said that to you when you were little? (Much better than the reaction you got for drawing on the walls, I'm sure!)

Encourage their artistry and creativity, let them color their hands blue and their tummy's red. Make the tub into a underwater mural complete with fish, seaweed, and crabs. After all, they can only do these things for so long. As adults we'd get looked at *strangely* to put it mildly. Just remember to tell them it's only for the bath...Otherwise you might end up with swirly sofas...spotted rugs...

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SLAM! Mommy, that was Fun!

Wooden Activity Table

MOM TIME: 10 - 45 Minutes
AGE: 1.5 - 5 Years
NECESSITY SCALE: Want It

This adorable play table should buy you up to an hour of free time whilst your toddler or young child educates themselves about colors and shapes. Triangles, squares, circles, red, green, blue...Go ahead kids, have a blast! And if your cuddly one isn't the most coordinated of the bunch (sure you might not admit it to others, but you know if yours is the one always falling over and knocking things down!), this should help with that too.

The only downside to this wonderful distractor is the material...wood. Imagine yourself trying to write a report for work, your little angel at your side playing quietly at the table, and all of a sudden...SLAM!...SLAM!...SLAM! That's right, the inevitable has occurred. They've discovered it's much more fun to whack the wood pieces against the wood top than it is to slowly and carefully put each piece in its correct slot like they're supposed to do. You sigh, because after all, it was a good effort on your part.

My suggestion: wait until they are old enough to play in another room by themselves before introducing this wonderfully educational toy. (You know, when they won't try to swallow the blocks!) Or, get Daddy to supervise in a very distant part of the house.

Overall though, great toy that your kids should love...especially the SLAM! part...

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